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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28651965">Legacy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneTrueKingJon/pseuds/OneTrueKingJon'>OneTrueKingJon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire &amp; Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Jon is a Stark, Multi, Other, R Plus L Does Not Equal J, Slow Burn, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:55:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>124,513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28651965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneTrueKingJon/pseuds/OneTrueKingJon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Escaping the clutches of a terrible life in Essos, Daenerys Targaryen finds herself in Winterfell, under the wings of Ned Stark, who is one of the most famous chefs in the country.</p><p>Meanwhile Jon Snow, having escaped his father Ned Stark's obsession with legacy, finds himself a new life in King's Landing, under the wings of Oberyn Martell, a successful investment banker.</p><p>A series of events will assure Jon and Dany coming face to face with each other and ghosts of their pasts hanging above them. Their struggles and inevitable attraction to each other will cause and solve problems at the same time, while dangerous games are being played around them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fifteen Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was chaotic at the restaurant.<br/><br/>The Moat, made famous by two generations of Stark families, had a very special guest that day. The most famous gourmet in Westeros, Jon Arryn would be there to taste the usual stuff, like he did every year. Even though they had become great friends with Ned Stark over the years, he would always stress about Arryn’s arrival and terrorize his crew whenever he was visiting.<br/><br/>It was her job to keep everything in place. Just like she had been doing for the past five years.<br/><br/>Dany hadn’t imagined herself ending up in the farthest civil place in the Westerosi land. Winterfell wasn’t necessarily her dream place when she had ended up here and she had known that it was going to be tough to stay alive in that place. Until the day that she actually ran into a dying Ned Stark who was suffering from a heart attack nearby his restaurant and saved him, her life in Winterfell had been miserable. While recovering, Ned Stark had his people go through hell to find her and bring her to him. Something was really irresistible about him in a very fatherly way and Dany had found herself under his wings, away from the sorrows of her past, finally living a life that was stable enough.<br/><br/>As she noticed the cab was about to stop in front of the restaurant, she signaled to the valet to stall the cab about parking, looked herself in the mirror, straightened herself and slowly but surely, made her way to the front door, ignoring all the chaotic noises coming from the kitchen. After all, despite the insane quality of the food in the restaurant, presentation was everything when a man like Jon Arryn had one of the tables to himself.<br/><br/>She politely welcomed Arryn at the door and took him to his table. Just when there was a moment of awkward silence, she heard the crashing sounds of plates from the kitchen, which meant that she actually had to keep Arryn busy for a while and that meant small talk. Pleasantries were exchanged, she had signaled for the waiter to get something to drink for the man and in just about time, a fuming Ned Stark exited the kitchen, with two waiters right beside him. She chuckled inwardly as Ned engulfed Arryn in a bone-crushing hug and the two men laughed loudly about how they both were getting old and so on. Feeling that this was her cue to leave, she slowly and quietly stood up from her seat and turned towards the kitchen. Just when she was about to take her second step, she felt Ned’s hand on her wrist and stopped.<br/><br/><em>“I think you should stay. I’m sure Mr. Arryn won’t mind if you kept us company for a while.”</em><br/><br/>She really did want to stay at the table, at that very moment, listen to two of the most accomplished people in Westeros exchange opinions about food and drinks, but there was unfinished business in the kitchen. All those crashing sounds came back to her as she patted Ned on the shoulder.<br/><br/><em>“I would like to, but then again I believe somebody needs to clear the mess in the kitchen and deal with the three grown-ups you just wrecked before leaving, right? Will be back for the dessert though, don’t worry.”</em><br/><br/>With that she left and when she entered the kitchen, she found three sulking big men, who weren’t even making eye contact with each other. When she looked closely, she noticed that Tormund, who had been the sous-chef for more than fifteen years, was tearing up.<br/><br/><em>“I can’t take it anymore. I’m forty-two years old and I just cannot take that he is insulting me and yelling at me like I’m a little kid. I even went to prison for him but this is really too much. I could, you know, just hit him with the back of my hand and he would have troubles getting up from the damn floor.”</em><br/><br/>Tormund was the only one vocal, which meant that he had been the main target of the flame. Luckily Dany knew how to handle the situation, as she had been in this exact moment for numerous times. She signaled to the inner kitchen for Pentoshi coffee to be made and pushed the lot to the backyard patio to calm their nerves. Tormund, Jorah and Edmure had been working under Ned throughout their careers and it was almost all the time them three, who took the biggest beating from him. Being a perfectionist, Ned would throw away the food, just because it didn’t smell right, or something wasn’t placed on the plate as he wanted it. Just when they sat down, young Alys brought the coffee and quickly left. Dany made a mental note to check on Alys and her mother Barbrey, as quite often Barbrey would show up at work with a black-eye or some mark on her arm, showing signs of abuse and violence from her husband Harrion. She sighed turned her attention to the table, where three grown men weren’t still reluctant about talking, so she took the initiative.<br/><br/><em>“Okay, clearly the two of you blame Tormund for this abuse and until we talk about it, you know that this isn’t gonna get any better. Plus I ain’t got all day, Ned sincerely asked me to accompany them at the table and you know how badly I would like to listen to Arryn go on and on about food, especially because it’s important for the book that we’re working on. So can any of you, please? Thank you.”</em><br/><br/>There was an awkward silence for a while and then it was Edmure who spoke up.<br/><br/><em>“It all broke loose because Tormund forgot to put bone-marrow into the skewered meat. He’s getting old and inconsistent day by day. I think he should quit.”</em><br/><br/>Dany knew that Edmure wasn’t sincere about these words and clearly was throwing caution at the wind to get Tormund to crack up and release his anger. However Jorah had different opinions about the matter and he lashed back at Edmure almost immediately.<br/><br/><em>“…says the quitter who quit three times in the past and came crawling back to this restaurant because you tanked not less than two months into opening your own business.”</em><br/><br/>That had made Tormund laugh rather quickly and suddenly the tense air had disappeared. They started joking about how Ned would always behave like that and then calm down and regret his behavior almost immediately after lashing out. Sensing that her presence was no longer needed, Dany excused herself and started making her way towards the table she was meant to sit at. Just when she was about to exit the kitchen, she noticed Barbrey trying to hide in the corner, away from her sight, yet again with a black eye. She made her way towards her and cupped her face. Barbrey was already on the verge of tears and pretty much any word said could trigger a breakdown so she had to be careful. She tried to find the right words but choked, only to notice that Barbrey was actually sobbing and speaking at the same time.<br/><br/><em>“…Ned saw the black eye and he looked furious. I fear that he’s going to kill Harrion because of that because he had said so in the past. The last time he was already very harsh on him and I cannot accept the idea of Harrion being gone…”</em><br/><br/>In between the sobs, Barbrey clearly wasn’t making any sense. Dany noticed that her hand was still cupping the older woman’s cheek. She gave it a light squeeze and suddenly all the blabbering stopped. She had found her words and she really needed to get out of there.<br/><br/><em>“It’s always the men. Their world, their violence, their terms, their ideas and decisions. We, the women, are alone in this world and we always will be. Don’t forget that.”</em><br/><br/>Without looking back, she exited the kitchen and moved towards the table. She didn’t care if some douche was going to get beaten up because he was beating up his own wife, just because he could.<br/>***<br/><br/>It was clearly a great idea to take the afternoon off.<br/><br/>After being swamped with all the details of the damn merger, Jon finally decided to take a breather and take the afternoon off. He went for a beer to clear his mind, as if it was possible to clear one’s mind in this shit city called King’s Landing. It had been his childhood dream to leave Winterfell and his father’s abusive ways behind and move to a bigger, more cultured, more civilized city. After getting into KLU and starting to intern for Martell Investment, he had quickly made his way up in the firm, after actually saving the firm from a huge financial crisis almost twelve years ago. He was starting to get lost in his thoughts so he downed the beer and decided to leave, when a really beautiful blonde woman sat next to him at the bar and ordered a martini. He chuckled and signaled to the bartender to make it two, while smiling charmingly to the woman, who clearly looked taken with him.<br/><br/>After casual conversation and some chit chat, it didn’t take the two of them long to end up in his place. Jon wouldn’t tire of his womanizing ways as he refused to commit to any relationship after the abusive one he had suffered years ago. Plus, Arianne Martell, the heiress to Martell Investment was always at his neck, probably encouraged by her father Oberyn, who was set to retire in the near future. “These aren’t the things I should be thinking about when I’m cooking, cooking is supposed to take my mind off things.” his inner voice called to him and he gathered himself. Taking one look at the beautiful blonde whose name he had already forgotten, he pulled the tray from the oven and carefully lifted the big cut of meat onto the plate, basted it with the simmering red wine and shallot butter one more time and carried the plate to the kitchen island. The woman sitting across the table was really fond of the situation as he gently cut a piece, dipped it into the sauce and fed it to her with his own fork. He took a sip from his wine as he kept watching his guest, who had lost interest in the food but looked more interested in him. Noticing that this was his cue, he stood up from his seat and led the way to the bedroom.<br/><br/>Just when he was climaxing, he heard the thunderous knocking on his door, which clearly bummed him a lot, especially when he had warned the doorman that he wasn’t to be disturbed today, by any means. Visibly annoyed, he pulled himself from where he was, put on his robe and went to the door, muttering curses on the way. When he opened the door, a very angry and fuming Arianne Martell barged into his condo, without waiting to be invited inside. There was a hint of sadness when she saw there were two plates and two wine glasses on the kitchen island and the bedroom door was open with a woman inside, dressing herself. Jon heard the woman leaving in a blur, while Arianne started ranting at full speed.<br/><br/><em>“Don’t you ever answer your phone Jon Snow? I called you sixteen times. SIXTEEN FUCKING TIMES. My father had been wondering why you had taken the day off and when Margaery told his secretary that you needed to clear your head, I was thinking that you went to the gym or some other activity, NOT SHAGGING A WOMAN WHOSE NAME YOU CLEARLY DON’T REMEMBER TO GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION ABOUT.”</em><br/><br/>The silence was deafening and disturbing. Jon hated to be shouted at, clearly that reminded him of how abusive his father was towards him. Taking Arianne’s condition into consideration, he slowly made his way toward her and held her hand. Arianne’s anger was gone within a second and she was immediately consumed with compassion. She made a move towards him but he stopped her by putting his finger on her lips. He sighed and finally decided to speak.<br/><br/><em>“Okay then, please just let me know why you are here and please let’s do this in a civilized way.”</em><br/><br/>After being briefed about the merger talks for the umpteenth time, Jon was bored out of his socks but couldn’t interrupt Arianne, because after all, this was going to be her company in the near future and he was to be her number two. Jon had always decided to ignore the idea of marrying into the Martell family, despite Oberyn’s encouraging behavior for him to start dating his daughter. He was again getting lost in his thoughts and Arianne’s raising voice brought him back to the world.<br/><br/><em>“You clearly aren’t listening to me, are you Jon?”</em><br/><br/><em>“Look, I’ve been over these files and the issues numerous times already, okay? There isn’t going to be any issue at the merger meeting tomorrow. Let Baelish and the legal department handle the rest and it will be okay. You know that the Lannisters always pay their debts and Tywin Lannister never backs out of a deal. Plus, this is the only way to keep the company and the harbor trade alive and you know it. So don’t fret or stress and make sure that Oberyn doesn’t act rash tomorrow okay? I’ve done my part and this will be fine. Trust me.”</em><br/><br/>That little speech was clearly convincing enough as Arianne’s look at him started changing. Her rapid breathing had calmed down and she was more like herself again. Jon had always looked at her like a little sister, despite being not much older than her. He had been sent to Braavos by Oberyn for a short period of time to perfect his Valyrian and intern at the Iron Bank, only to return to Westerosi soil with the experience and knowledge to bend the rules of the system. He was aware that some of the stuff done at the company was shady for sure, but he was also sure that Oberyn Martell always insisted on doing everything by the books so that nothing was illegal.<br/><br/>After that ensuring little speech, he and Arianne just talked about daily stuff, burned Baelish to the ground for buying another lame expensive suit, went through the office rumors and laughed, gossiped about the office couples until suddenly Arianne kissed him. Jon hadn’t seen this coming and was frozen afterwards. The primate in him was encouraging him towards it while his brain was telling him why it was a really bad idea to screw the boss’s daughter. In the end, he slowly and gently pushed her away and they were back to square one. Arianne had transformed into the same person, who had barged into his condo almost an hour ago. In a sudden movement she grabbed her bag and coat and stormed out without Jon being able to say anything.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>This was just the perfect environment.<br/><br/>Being able to listen to Jon Arryn explaining food, how it’s made and how good Ned Stark is at what he does was pure joy for Dany’s ears. The more surprising part was that he was actually very much invested in the book that they were bringing together with Ned, as that was supposed to be his legacy to live on after him. Dany had questioned why Ned was obsessed about his legacy when she had first moved in to the Stark mansion but was quickly silenced and later was warned by Ned’s sister Lyanna to not to dig deep into the situation. All she knew was that Ned had a son who lived in King’s Landing and they did not speak to each other, hence the obsession about legacy.<br/><br/>Somehow Dany was glad that this Jon wasn’t in Ned’s life. Ned Stark had given her everything she had dreamed of, away from all the chaos she had left behind. He had been her shelter, her home and almost like her father. She didn’t know what more this man could have given her. She was awakened from her thoughts when she noticed that Jon Arryn had asked her a question about the book and quickly gathered herself.<br/><br/><em>“So Miss Storm, what type of lenses are you using for the photography? Also Ned here told me about your drawings, I would very much like to take a look at those, provided that you are okay with it.”</em><br/><br/>Dany knew that this was Ned’s doing naturally, but she was loving the attention she was getting and she played along, explained that they had switched to macro lenses for the photography, showed Arryn a couple of examples of the landscapes, the raw materials for the meals and short videos of “making the meal” procedures. Arryn really seemed to be taken with all this and was nodding in approval. This went on for a while, until Jon Arryn decided that it was his cue to leave as he had to get back to Vale on the morrow. A big package containing some of the local pleasantries was given to Arryn as a parting gift and Dany watched his cab riding away, unable to contain her joy.<br/><br/>However his departure meant that now Ned was going to go back to the kitchens and raise hell and that was exactly what he did. The shouting was off the charts and with Tormund not backing down this time, there was no choice to send Ned away into Wintertown until he cooled down. Dany assured him that she would be in charge and would take care of everything so that he left without complaining much. That was a firm warning to the rest of the workers and everybody had fallen in line, which meant the business at the restaurant was now back to normal.<br/><br/>They were comfortably nearing the closing hours, or at least Dany had thought so. The head-waiter Edd had come back to the kitchen, fuming about a customer. Feeling the need of keeping her word to Ned, she decided to interfere and see what was going on. This posh, stupid looking couple, who were definitely from King’s Landing and was here because they had read some review about The Moat on some magazine. In the politest of manners she approached the table and asked them what was wrong. The issue was that the meat was overcooked for the man’s taste so trying to be nice, she sent the food back to the kitchen and had it re-done. When the same thing happened again and the man’s behavior was even ruder towards Edd, she decided that this was the limit and rushed into the kitchen and immediately grabbed a pile of ground meat from the platter in front of her.<br/><br/>When she returned to the table, the man was still complaining and Edd was really doing his best to stay polite. Dany pulled Edd away and entered a staring contest with the man. Her hand full of ground meat was behind her back and the man at the table wouldn’t be able to see it. Trying to stay as polite as possible, Dany once again asked what the problem was.<br/><br/><em>“It’s the same shit again. The meat was overcooked.”<br/><br/>“It was overcooked again? I made sure that the inner temperature would be to your liking before the food left the kitchen.”<br/><br/>“It was overcooked alright. Tasted like a two-dollar steak.”<br/><br/>“Well I’ll make sure you’ll get your money’s worth mister, please don’t worry.”<br/><br/>“You and all these Northern brutes here, don’t know shit about cooking or food. It was a mistake to come here after all.”</em><br/><br/>That being the last straw, Dany felt her temper taking over her and smashed the pile of ground meat to the man’s face to thunderous applause from the other tables. Unable to hold herself from chuckling, she smiled at the man in the politest of manners and took a step back while pointing at the door.<br/><br/><em>“Out. We don’t serve your kind of people here. Get out, right now.”</em><br/><br/>She hadn’t felt this powerful ever in her life so she let herself enjoy the moment a little bit. Then a cloud of doubts surrounded her mind, wondering if Ned would be okay with her behavior. The other customers were still applauding and laughing, while the man left the restaurant, complaining like a whiny little bitch. She smiled at the crowd staring at her, slightly bowed at them and rushed back into the kitchen.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Leaving the restaurant was like leaving his child behind but then again, Ned Stark had already left his only child behind. Jon was out of his life, out of his sight, living a thousand miles away from him. His name was never mentioned, his presence was never brought out and he hadn’t returned to Winterfell in over ten years. Sure, his sister Lyanna had a soft spot for the boy and occasionally visited him in King’s Landing but, apart from the family lawyer Davos; no one had been in contact with him in the past year.  Ned hadn’t been able to look the boy in the eye for once over the years. His birth had meant Ashara’s death and after losing the love of his life, Ned Stark had never been the same. While these thoughts accompanied him on his walk to Wintertown, he gave a call to Davos to have him meet with him at their usual spot.<br/><br/>When he entered the alehouse, Davos was already there and sipping his brew. Ned casually and comfortably took a seat and smiled at his friend of thirty years. Davos was a joyful fellow and was well liked by the whole community in Winterfell, despite not being a local. He had blended in nicely and was well known for his negotiating skills. Being a damn good lawyer, he could almost handle every case by settling and wouldn’t necessarily go to trial unless he had to. Ned had trusted him with the family affairs since they had met and their friendship had been solid ever since. Davos had been measuring him silently as Ned settled into his seat and his beer was served. While he took his first sip, Davos initiated the conversation.<br/><br/><em>“I’m guessing that Dany kicked you out of the restaurant because you made a scene again, right?  You really need to be able to keep yourself in check. It is bad PR and bad for your health at the same time. You know about your heart after all.”<br/><br/>“That’s why I called you. I feel my end is near. My heart probably won’t be able to take much more of this stress and anger within me. Have you prepared the will and the other paperwork as I requested?”<br/><br/>“You know that I have. Still, I’m wondering if it’s a bit of a rash decision to leave the restaurant to Dany. You know that your son is still alive, right?”<br/><br/>“What does it matter, he’s dead to me anyway and I thought we had a deal to never mention him or his name.”<br/><br/>“Sure, but this is the only matter where we should be able to at least acknowledge his presence. He’ll at least need to be notified of this in the case of your passing and will be able to wage a legal war, because you cannot officially disinherit him.”<br/><br/>“I don’t give a rat’s ass Davos. Just prepare the paperwork and bring them to the restaurant tomorrow. I’ll sign whatever is necessary. The mansion and the gardens will be left to Lyanna, the restaurant will be shared between Dany, Tormund, Jorah and Edmure with Dany having majority ownership. Is that understood?”<br/><br/>“Crystal clear. I’ll see you tomorrow in this case. Are you sure you don’t need a ride back to the mansion?”<br/><br/>“Näh, I’ll swing by the restaurant to pick Dany. I need the walk anyway, helps me clear my mind and neutralizes my anger. See you tomorrow.”</em><br/>With that, Ned was slowly on his way back to the restaurant. It was exactly five years ago when he had a heart attack, when he was only a few blocks away from The Moat. That was when Dany had found him on the street and rushed him to the hospital. She had saved his life, but then had disappeared immediately. It had taken days of combined effort from Davos and himself to finally find Dany and bring her to the mansion. When he had met her in his conscious self, he had grown to love her like she was his own daughter. That tiny, young woman, who had a year old little girl with her, had given him life, while she desperately needed a new life herself. Ned had taken her in with her child, made sure that they were looked after and even put Dany to work at the restaurant as the manager while slowly and surely retiring from the business itself. Still for special occasions he would go back to the kitchens and do his duty but, that was long gone from him nowadays. He felt in his bones that he was old but he was still ready to fight, despite how tired he was.<br/><br/>When he was back at The Moat, he noticed little Alys showing the rest of the crew a video from her phone and while everyone was laughing and roaring, he noticed that Dany had a shadow of a doubt on her face. He slowly moved to the courtyard of the restaurant, trying his best to not to disturb his crew from having fun. Usually when they noticed him walking by, everything would stop or come to a halt. That wasn’t the case this time though, as Tormund casually stood up from his seat and took his arm. Their fight from earlier on was long forgotten and Ned found himself staring at a video of Dany, slapping a pile of ground meat to a pompous man’s face and roared in laughter with joy. For a moment, everything was fine with the world.<br/><br/>After the laughter died and his crew started going home, it was only him and Dany left. That video of hers had gone viral on twitter and clearly that had made her quite uncomfortable. Ned was one of the three people on the face of the earth that knew about Dany’s past. Checking their surroundings once more and making sure that everyone had left, Dany slowly approached him with a puzzled face.<br/><br/><em>“I’m worried that he will find out about me through that video.”<br/><br/>“He can’t do shit. Even if he finds out that you are here, we won’t let him touch you or even come near you.”<br/><br/>“You can’t promise that. I’m scared, scared that he will try to force his way into my life, like he forced himself upon me all those years ago.”<br/><br/>“I promise you that, not a living, breathing soul on this world can lay a finger on you. Not when I’m alive, not even after I’m gone.”<br/><br/>“Don’t say things like that, please. You know that I appreciate it but please don’t. There is still one promise you haven’t been able to keep and we know that it’s a lost cause.”<br/><br/>“No, nothing is lost. Our people are still searching for her. Here in Westeros and elsewhere. I promised you years ago that she would be found and she will be.”<br/><br/>“Well… If you insist then I cannot add more to it. Anyway, when you came back from Wintertown, you looked a little rattled. I’m guessing you met Davos and he brought up your son again?”<br/><br/>“How do you do this, I don’t even understand but yes, he did. That reminds me of something that I need to talk with you real soon. No rush though, we’ll get back to it soon enough.”</em><br/><br/>They rode back home in comfortable silence. When they arrived at the mansion, his sister was already asleep and he himself didn’t want to wait up after that long day. Knowing that Dany would surely go and check on little Ashara before going to sleep, he bid her good night and retired to his room.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>There were really sixteen missed calls from Ari.<br/><br/>Going through his phone, Jon noticed a bunch of e-mails informing about stuff that he already knew about, five messages from his assistant Margaery about Arianne heading to his condo, two messages from Petyr Baelish, requesting the legal details of the Lannister merger, but one text stood out, from his old college roommate, Gendry. Jon decided that it had to be something important, since Gendry never contacted him unless it was very important and he was at the other side of the merger deal, which meant that he probably had important information that he had withheld until today. He opened the message first, while erasing the rest of the notifications. The message was brief, but was straight to point.<br/><br/><em>“I need to see you before tomorrow’s meeting.”</em><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><em>(1 year ago)</em><br/><br/><em>“This is Westeros we’re speaking about, not Braavos, not the Iron Bank. You know that rules are meant to be bent on this soil. Plus, who are you to tell me about Martell Investment anyway? You actually remember that I work there, right under Oberyn himself, right?”<br/><br/>“Dude, chill the fuck down. I know that you guys are dealing with billions but we’re talking about Tywin Lannister here. The man literally shits gold and you know it. He wants to invest on your properties to make it a win-win situation. Plus nobody likes the snob, arrogant Oberyn Martell around here in King’s Landing. This is not fucking Dorne and he would have helped himself a lot more, if he actually conducted his business there and not spread around the harbors here in KL. Still, pass me the yearly info and let’s see if Tywin actually wants you guys to invest for good.”<br/><br/>“You know that we’ll be breaking confidentiality. Can I actually trust you with this?”<br/><br/>“I wouldn’t trust me and you know that. Business is business. This isn’t something personal.”</em><br/><br/>After giving it a little thought, Jon then handed the flashdisk to Gendry and left with a satisfying grin on his face. He however, didn’t know that he was being double-crossed at that time. Gendry took out his phone and dialed Tywin Lannister’s personal number.<br/><br/><em>“Mr. Lannister, it happened just like you said. Jon came to me with the data. It begins now.”<br/></em><br/>***<br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>While trying to put his place in order, Jon put his phone on speaker and dialed his office. He needed some data and he needed it fast. When Sam didn’t reply to his phone, he then called Margaery and her pick-up speed was in contrast to Sam.<br/><br/><em>“Hello there prince charming. What can I do for you?”</em><br/><br/><em>“Don’t butter me up Marge. I tried to reach Sam but he wasn’t answering. Is he or Mormont around? I need one of them to send me some documents right away, cause I’m meeting Gendry in a few.”<br/><br/>“Sam is at a meeting with legal. Baelish came by an hour ago to look for you and when we taunted him for the piece of shit he was, he decided to leave with Sam instead of you for his meeting. I can get you to Mormont though. She’s here and hasn’t uttered a word since she arrived in the morning she’s continuously typing something and staring at her screen. Are you sure that you want some intern to handle your business for the merger? I could handle it you know?”<br/><br/>“No, the Mormont girl is not to be bothered by any means. Just let her know that I need the files about the merger. I had briefed her before and she knows what to do. Be quick about it. Once I’m out of the shower, I’ll swing by the office and pick up the documents.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say boss.”</em><br/><br/>Jon quickly showered, dressed himself and left his condo, swung by the office, got the files he needed and continued to meet Gendry by the Blackwater. He knew that this was going to be a short meeting and this was to be a show of strength. When he arrived, Gendry was already there, sitting on a bench with a coffee in hand and a cigarette in his mouth. He was furiously puffing, which meant he was under a lot of stress.<br/><br/><em>“Ah Snow, good you’re here. Listen, I don’t have much time so I’ll cut straight to the chase. Tywin wants one of us to sit at your table, you know, to oversee the investments.”<br/><br/>“Why would he want that and who would be that guy?”<br/><br/>“You’re looking at him.  As I said, we just want to oversee the investments and that’s all. Ah and this just happened to drop by my office door this morning.”<br/><br/>It was some unimportant dirt on Oberyn and Jon knew that this would be coming his way. That’s why he was prepared and had Mormont hack into Lannister Corporation’s database to get him numbers and find some actually important dirt on Tywin. Jon dismissed the folder Gendry passed to him and dropped the folder he had prepared onto his lap. Gendry was taken by surprise and after running through a few pages, all the color had left his face.<br/><br/>“You’re playing a dangerous game Snow, you’re aware of that, right?”<br/><br/>“Sure. That’s why I’m not allowing you to bully me into negotiating in bad faith. Try once again and I’ll bully you back.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say and hey, keep Martell in check please. No rash decisions, no arguments, no offensive remarks. Deal?”<br/><br/>“Deal.”</em><br/><br/>After Gendry left, Jon took his phone out and dialed a number that he had been dialing a lot in the past few days.<br/><br/><em>“Good job Mormont, excellent work. Remind me to double your signing bonus.”</em><br/><br/>With that being done, there was one more destination for Jon to drop by for the evening. Actually visiting his boss at his mansion was the only option now, because he had avoided his calls during the day. He took the shortcuts within the city to avoid the traffic and within twenty minutes, he was at the gates of the huge mansion.<br/><br/>Oberyn Martell was a rich, very rich man. He had lived for the earthly pleasures almost all of his life, had travelled almost all of Essos, had learned trade in Valyria and was the first person to bring the Braavosi investment banking style to Westeros. He was a visionary in his field, but that wasn’t necessarily enough to define him. He was a gourmet, had invested in every gourmet restaurant in the city, was a big supporter of the fusion cooking places, owned shares of the most exquisite jazz clubs in town and collected a lot of paintings, which by themselves were worth tens of millions.<br/><br/>After the valet took his car and he was welcomed into the mansion by the servants, Jon calmly made his way to the main study, where he found Oberyn standing in front of one of those insanely expensive paintings he owned. Oberyn’s back was turned to him, but the old man had keen ears and surely had recognized that he had entered the study.<br/><br/><em>“It was in the reign of King George III that the aforesaid personages lived and quarreled; good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now.”</em><br/><br/>This was a game between the two of them. Constant quoting of movies with each other and Jon knew which movie it was by heart anyway. Never once in twelve years his answer had been wrong.<br/><br/>“BARRY LYNDON!”<br/><br/>“YES. Welcome son, come on in. I’ve been expecting you.”<br/><br/>Oberyn Martell then turned around with a big smile on his face. He would always call him son when they were in private and this time was no exception. He was aware that Oberyn was grooming him to be the next CEO and then eventually to become a majority shareholder in the company, either by buying him out or actually having him marry into his family. Jon didn’t even like the idea of marrying someone, let alone Ari. When they sat down, Oberyn had him go over the main topics of the merger meeting, with grunts and curses in between. He hadn’t liked the idea of having Gendry having a seat at their table as a board member but had to comply. Jon had told him so that this was a penance and he had to live with it. He was asked to stay for dinner and knowing that there was no way out of it, he reluctantly accepted.<br/><br/>When he entered the dining room, he noticed that Ari was already there and had taken her seat. “<em>Of course” </em>he grunted inwardly. The Martell heiress had to be here, when he was expecting to dine with his boss alone. Her intense gaze was on him since he had entered the room. He politely nodded to her and waited for Oberyn to sit down. There was an awkward, uncomfortable silence at the table as Ari was just staring at him, eyes filled with hatred and lust at the same time. Trying to avoid her gaze, he turned to Oberyn, only to find him chuckling to himself.<br/><br/>“<em>What’s so funny? What did we miss?”<br/><br/>“Nothing actually, I just happened to remember the first time the three of us were together. That was some long, long time ago.”<br/><br/></em>***<em><br/><br/>(12 years ago)<br/><br/>“I’m telling you sir, this needs to reach the top. There is a huge crisis coming our way. Just check out the data from the King’s Landing Stock Exchange. I’m sorry to say that we will be fucked if we don’t do this. Please, just please you need to let Mr. Martell know about this, or we might not have a job to attend by next week.”<br/><br/>“You figured this out? How? I mean you are just an intern, what kind of quality you think you possess that makes you think that you can come here and face the very best in the business?”<br/><br/>“Ruthless aggression. Just let your superior know for fuck’s sake. I don’t mind getting fired for telling the truth but it really would suck to be out of a job because this company fucking went under.”<br/><br/></em>Jon watched as his superior go to his superior, then the woman pointing at him and questioning whether actually Jon was the one who found this out. Suddenly he was summoned to the manager’s office and it wasn’t before long that head of the legal, Petyr Baelish entered the room himself.<br/><br/>“<em>So walk us through this will you? In clear, common tongue, explain to me that why we need to sell 400 million of these shares overnight.”<br/><br/>“Look, even a fool could figure this out. The company has been buying these shares for the past ten years now. With all the crisis and KLSE not being able to maintain stability, Naath will declare bankruptcy tomorrow and we need to be on the move. This isn’t a real crisis, this is rather artificial and manipulative and we will be under 400 million if we don’t sell these right now.”<br/><br/></em>The room was dead silent and finally it was Baelish who made the call.<br/><br/>“<em>Mr. Martell, there is an urgent situation and we need you to be here.”<br/><br/></em>Within an hour everyone who mattered was packed into the large conference room. The room was dead silent as Oberyn Martell barged into the room, clearly very annoyed to be interrupted during his precious family time with his daughter. A chair was brought for his daughter Arianne and as he took a good look at the room while all heads went down and finally he started speaking.<br/><br/><em>“Please sit ladies and gentleman. Now I’m wondering what was so important that I had to interrupt my dinner with my daughter whom I barely get to see. So please, explain to me what the fuck is so important.”</em><br/><br/>Jon watched as his manager stood up, started explaining the situation and his findings as her voice cracked and she looked like she could cry anytime during the explanation. Meanwhile Oberyn’s assistant had given him the folder containing the analysis and he was reading through, while listening to the explanation. It was cut in half by the folder being smashed hard to the table and all the heads were down once again.<br/><br/><em>“I’m paying you lot millions and an intern figures this out? A fucking intern actually finds this out while you lot of useless shits are doing what, wasting my money? Stand up kid. Stand up and address this room full of idiots and walk us through the situation like we are retarded. Come on now, don’t be shy. Step by step, walk us through this thing.”</em><br/><br/>Jon clumsily stood up from his seat and started briefing the room. When he was done, Oberyn looked at him and shouted “AGAIN” so he went again. This happened a bunch of times until he finally exploded to the room.<br/><br/><em>“You should NEVER keep souvenirs from a killing.“</em><br/><br/>At that point, Jon couldn’t keep himself from saying it out loud.<br/><br/><em>“VERTIGO!”<br/><br/>“What did you just say?”<br/><br/>“N-n-no I didn’t say anything.”<br/><br/>“You did say something. Don’t mumble, say it out loud.”<br/><br/>“You should never keep souvenirs from a killing. It’s from Vertigo, Hitchcock’s Vertigo.”<br/><br/></em>At that point a fifteen year-old Arianne couldn’t keep herself from chuckling but was quickly silenced by her father’s hard, unwavering gaze. Then the same gaze was focused on Jon this time. Jon quickly looked at Arianne and winked, completely ignoring his manager’s heels on his foot.<br/><br/>“<em>So, what do you suggest we do, Mr. John Scottie Ferguson?”<br/><br/>“Simple. We sell ALL the shares before the Stock Exchange opens. We do it tonight, all of it, to Essosi companies. Westerosi officials will pretend that they didn’t notice this, simply because it’s good for the national economy. If anything gets in the way, I’m sure Mr. Martell can make a few calls so nothing stands in our way.”<br/><br/></em>The room was dead silent for a minute. Then Oberyn signaled his assistant for a glass of scotch and painkillers. He looked at the room once more and without even raising his voice, he gave a single command.<br/><br/><em>“Get it done and everybody out.”</em><br/><br/>Jon was sitting far away from the door so it took a while for him to actually pack up and get in line to leave. Just when he was passing by the head table, Oberyn’s hand stopped him.<br/><br/><em>“Not you. You stay.”<br/><br/></em>***<em><br/><br/></em>(Present Day)<em><br/><br/></em>The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence. When they were being served coffee, Jon was checking twitter to see if something important had happened. He saw a video of a woman slapping a pile of ground meat to some lame-ass dude’s face and couldn’t hold his laughter after seeing that. He liked the video to check it out later again and put his phone away, pretending to pay attention to Arianne blabbering and complaining about his absence to her father. Oberyn, who was clearly annoyed by the fact that Jon wasn’t into his daughter as she was into him, had just held his hand and silenced his daughter within a heartbeat.<br/><br/>“<em>I need you two to be on the same page. If for nothing, for the company’s future and sake. Is that understood?”<br/><br/></em>All they could do was to nod, as it was time for Jon to get going, for tomorrow was going to be a big day, with a huge meeting.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It was a lovely morning in Winterfell.<br/><br/>Dany thought that she was the first one up at the mansion but when she stepped to the patio, she noticed that Ned was already up and drinking his coffee. He smiled and gestured at her to sit with her and called for one of the servants to get coffee for Dany as well. He looked like he wanted to talk about something important and he had mentioned such a thing last night do Dany waited for him to initiate the conversation. Once the coffee was served and the servant was out of sight, Ned started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>I completed my will yesterday. I’m leaving the restaurant to you and the boys, with you being the majority shareholder and them three sharing the fifty percent within themselves.”<br/><br/></em>That was out of the blue and Dany hadn’t seen this coming. She tried to talk but choked, blabbed, then choked again, muttered some words but didn’t make sense. The only thing she could say that made sense was one sentence.<br/><br/><em>“But what about Jon?”<br/><br/>“What about him? I haven’t seen him in the past fifteen years, he hasn’t called once, he went against my every will and left this city and this business, sold his soul to those assholes in KL and I’m supposed to leave something to him? The last I heard that he was bragging to Davos about how rich he had become and how he didn’t need anyone to survive so no thanks, nothing for him. This was meant for you anyway, because the restaurant is still standing because of you</em>.”<br/><br/><em>“You know that you’re exaggerating a little, right? You would’ve put the place in order anyway.”<br/><br/>“Maybe yes, but then again it wouldn’t have been this smooth. You breathed life into our lives and all I can do in return is this. I haven’t forgotten about yesterday’s conversation though. I’ll call Davos again today and see where we are standing on that issue but now, there is something I need to ask you.”<br/><br/>“What is it, how can I help?”<br/><br/>“I noticed that Dustin’s eye was blackened. Is it again that nutcase husband of hers?”</em><br/><br/>Dany could only nod as fuming anger returned to Ned’s eyes. This was when he would become the scariest man on the face of the planet. He took one more sip of his coffee and then with a mellow expression that she was to handle the business at the restaurant for the upcoming days. When Dany asked him why, he had casually replied that it was the visit he needed to make to Karhold for livestock so that was settled. Still in her heart Dany knew that Harrion Karstark would take a hell of a beating today and Ned Stark showing up at Karhold afterwards would be a clear message about who held the North. Businesswise, Ned was the most feared and respected man around and he clearly intended to stay that way.<br/><br/>Just after Ned left for Karhold, his sister made her way down to the patio. Lyanna Stark was a few years younger than Ned, still in good health and had far less wrinkles on her face compared to the people of her age. She had never married, had no kids, and clearly she had tried to fill that void by bringing up her nephew, who was more like a son to her. The sadness in her eyes however meant there was something more to her story, though clearly was only known by family and friends. Dany was a part of that circle and although she knew the story, she knew to never bring it up, since both of the Stark siblings didn’t appreciate their hidden and buried stories to surface at all.<br/><br/>This morning however, Lyanna Stark was surely in a good mood. Dany couldn’t tell why but she didn’t want to spoil the old woman’s mood and decided to keep the restaurant talk to minimum. The servant brought her a special brew of Echinacea tea and left. Lyanna smelled the tea first and then took a small sip. Then with a smile on her face, she turned to Dany and initiated the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>I heard that Ned will be at Karhold for a few days. If you won’t run late at the restaurant, I thought you and I could dine this evening and talk about a few things, woman to woman. There are things that I want to ask your opinion about the new glass garden design and you know, I was hoping maybe you would actually make the initial drawing of it. I want to talk about this when we’re alone because Ned always gets in the way and then everything turns into what he wants it to become.”<br/><br/></em>Dany hadn’t expected this from her but appreciated the reasons vocalized so she nodded with a sincere smile on her face. Lyanna Stark had been nothing but helpful since she came to Winterfell and Dany didn’t want to upset her for no reason. Even if she didn’t have time, she would make time for her. Lyanna then let her know that her favorite chicken cacciatore was to be prepared for the evening and left to tend to her duties. Dany then gathered her things, dropped by to see her daughter still peacefully sleeping and that brought a smile to her face. No matter what happened, she would never let go of little Ashara. She then let the driver Rodrik know that Ashara was to be brought to the restaurant in the afternoon and immediately was picked up by Tormund and Jorah for a peaceful ride to work.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>After waking up at sunrise, working out, shaving, showering and putting on his nicest suit, Jon was picked up by the limo of the company, right from his door. On his way he picked up Marge and Sam, who completed his team. Well almost completed, considering Lyanna Mormont was now the latest addition to his team but she rode a bike to work and had said to him in a rare conversation that unless there was an emergency, she would prefer riding her bike. During the ride they went through the presentation once more, until they were interrupted by Jon’s phone ringing. Jon let Marge answer the phone as he was going through the numbers and he had heard from the speaker that Oberyn wanted to see him at his office once he had arrived at the office. Rest of their ride was uneventful but just when they had arrived and about to enter the plaza, Sam pulled him aside.<br/><br/>“<em>I didn’t want to speak about this in front of Marge but something is going on with the harbor. When I was summoned to Baelish’s office yesterday, I saw some documents concerning the transfers and they were marked as invalid. You know that we never mark anything invalid, at least not under our watch. I thought maybe I had seen wrong but then Beric Dondarrion from the harbor called and said that he was having trouble getting to you and needed to see you about something important. Something doesn’t feel right Jon and, I think you should head to the harbor once the merger meeting is done with.”<br/><br/></em>Jon took a good look at Sam, who clearly was panicking. Sam never had been the one to keep his composure under stress, but had a better mind with numbers and research so he was always a good analyst, running the things in the background. Jon wouldn’t have paid his blabber that much attention usually but he was definitely disturbed about something.<br/><br/>“<em>If you insist, I’ll look into it. Are you sure that you don’t know or haven’t seen more?”<br/><br/>“No, as I said some of the documents were marked invalid with red. It might be Baelish doing something fishy or it might be just a misunderstanding on my behalf. Still, Beric calling me was disturbing enough and I thought that you should know about it.”<br/><br/>“Good that you did Sam. We shall see what this is all about. After all, we know that Baelish has wanted me gone since day one, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s conspiring against us. We’ll see.”<br/><br/></em>While his team made their way to his office, Jon immediately ran to Oberyn’s. He was greeted at the door by Ari, who looked extremely pale due to stress. When he entered the room, he found Oberyn fuming with anger and there were piles of papers on the floor, clearly thrown there in a temper tantrum. Jon didn’t even bother knocking and rushed straight inside. This was the worst thing to happen moments before the merger and he had to make things right. Oberyn looked at him like a viper about to attack but as soon as he put his hands on his shoulder, he seemed to calm down for a moment.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m Oberyn FUCKING Martell. I cannot and will not submit to a Lannister. Instead I will fuck ALL THE LANNISTERS in the ass if I have to. The deal is off, I’m backing out of this merger.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>THE FUCK YOU WILL. I went to hell and back to save your company because you fucked up in human relations. You cannot and WILL NOT back out from this deal, okay? You will swallow your pride, pretend to be nice and YOU WILL ACT LIKE YOU ARE LIKING IT. AM I UNDERSTOOD?”<br/><br/></em>The room was dead silent. Oberyn looked like he could murder him but at that point Jon didn’t care. If they didn’t do this, there wasn’t going to be Martell Investments by the end of the year. Even though Tywin Lannister had offered him lucrative contracts over the years, he had chosen to stay at his position out of loyalty to Oberyn and now he wanted to see that loyalty rewarded. The merger wasn’t going to mean shit. He was going to be appointed CEO in two years maximum and then would go on to live comfortably for the rest of his life.<br/><br/>Not being able to contain herself, Ari put herself between the two of them and turned to her father, trying to sooth him. Jon didn’t like the odds that Arianne being the sensible one fixing things, but had no choice at that moment. Luckily Oberyn’s expression softened, he nodded to him and they left the office to welcome the Lannisters in front of the meeting room.<br/><br/>Tywin Lannister was accompanied by his sons Jamie and Tyrion, his legal team and his advisor on this merger, Gendry Waters, Jon’s college roommate. Greetings, handshakes and compliments were exchanged and everything began at full speed. An introductory speech by Tywin was followed by Oberyn, stressing the fact that how delighted he was to be here and how excited he was about this merger. Presentations were made, signatures were delivered and Martell Investments had merged with Lannister Corportation, though only on paper. They were still going to keep their name and facilities, only operating under the Lannister banner when it came to international business. This was a fair way to save face for Oberyn after all.<br/><br/>When they had gathered again after the meeting ended, Oberyn immediately asked the situation and whether the problem was solved at White Harbor. They hadn’t been able to gain access and spread to the northern borders and because of that their trade with Braavos was suffering at times. Oberyn had sent Baelish to deal with the problem and execute the paperwork but clearly things had gone wrong. Ari quickly briefed the room about the issues and afterwards everyone was looking at Oberyn to hear his decision. Oberyn thought for a moment, took a sip from his scotch and then turned to Jon.<br/><br/>“<em>I hope you’ve missed your home, because you will be negotiating with this Mance Rayder on behalf of the company. Assemble your team and leave for Winterfell as soon as possible. From there you will conduct the business in White Harbor as well. I want this thing taken care of within a week. No buts, no objections, nothing. You will do as I say and solve this mess that Baelish has created.”</em><br/><br/>Unhappy with the decision and using his local harbor duty as an excuse, Jon immediately left for the harbor to oversee the business and meet with Beric Dondarrion, the lead worker of the harbor whom he interacted with the most. Beric was a middle-aged man, usually very calm and preserved. He was having a cup of mulled-wine and enjoying a cigarette when Jon entered the harbor. Though he offered him a drink, Jon quickly wanted to get to business, as now he had to go north and he fucking hated even the idea of it. When Beric said that this was going to take a little long, Jon excused himself for a phone call before they started and called Davos.<br/><br/>“<em>Oh lad, good to hear from ya, how I can help?”<br/><br/>“Hey Davos, there is someone I need to gather info around and he lives in the north. The name is Mance Rayder, I presumed you knew him or at least heard of him before so thought that it was a good idea to call you.”<br/><br/>“Of course I know Mance Rayder. Owns a lot of land beyond the wall but finally settled into White Harbor and conducts his business from here. What in the blue hell you would want to do with him though? He is rather dangerous to have business with.”<br/><br/>“We’re trying to rent his property near the harbor to set up shop so we conduct some trade with Braavos. Apparently he had problems with our legal guy and now Martell is sending me to fix this. He thinks that me being Northern and…”<br/><br/>“…and?”<br/><br/>“…being Ned Stark’s son will help clear things up to reach an agreement.”<br/><br/>“There you go, see, that wasn’t so hard.”<br/><br/>“Screw you Davos. Anyway, me and my team are coming to Winterfell tomorrow. Just don’t alert anyone about it, because I don’t want to have any run ins with anyone. I’ll quietly handle my business and get back to King’s Landing.”<br/><br/>“Understood. At least meet me before going to Mance’s office. You might want me to accompany to strengthen your hand. Me being with you could help you negotiate from a position of strength.”<br/><br/>“Actually yes, that’s a good idea. It would be nice if you could join us. So I’ll call you tomorrow after I land and we’ll see. Take care old man.”<br/><br/></em>With that, he went back to Beric and his workers. He was handed a safety helmet and led towards the containers without a word. When one of the containers was lowered and opened, Jon couldn’t believe what he was. There were a pile of dead bodies, flies surrounding them and gods, the smell… He couldn’t contain himself and puked. Beric handed him a napkin and a bottle of water for him to gather himself. He was lost for words and didn’t know what to say. He could only ask how and why and at that point, Beric led him towards the storage unit, where a man, who was beaten up, tied and gagged was sitting. With a harsh move, Beric kicked the man first and then pulled him from the ground and removed his gag. He instructed the man to tell Jon, what he had told them. He tried to object and met Beric’s fist right away and clearly was unable to talk afterwards so Beric started explaining.<br/><br/>“<em>After the ship had sailed, this guy made a move on one of the women but was rejected. Then he forced himself on her and son of a bitch locked the poor woman into that container you saw. When a mutiny broke at the ship, he and his pals beat down the poor bastards and locked them into that container without air or food or water. When the docking process was delayed for a month for some reason, those poor bastards died out of thirst, hunger of suffocation. Now this asshole in my opinion has signed his death warrant so I’m sure you won’t object him not leaving this place alive. My question is what to do with the dead bodies. You are the one who had us sign those contracts so naturally, I’m coming to you with this. But I want you to know, everyone is already aware of this and everyone is turning a blind eye to the situation so think carefully.”</em><br/><br/>Jon didn’t know what to do. He was so shocked that it took him a while to gather himself while the asshole responsible from the crime was killed right before his eyes. He tried to think but failed, tried to speak but couldn’t find the words. When he finally gathered himself enough, he told Beric to bury the people and send him the coordinates. Just when he thought that he wanted to walk out from here and never to return, his consciousness stopped him from doing so.<br/><br/>“<em>Why didn’t you tell me? Or Mr. Martell? Or you know, go to the fucking police? How the hell this has happened and actually though I told you to bury the bodies, how in the blue hell you can sneak those away and let a container be lost from the system?”<br/><br/>“Well… Ramsay takes care of the situation you know.”<br/><br/>“Ramsay?”<br/><br/>“Yes, Ramsay. Told you everyone knew and pretended to not to know. Customs, security, Ramsay, the police, even your boss. Everyone.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Ramsay fucking Bolton, personal advisor to Oberyn Martell handles this, okay. That was a revelation. But why tell me? Clearly everyone was in on this and everything was working fine without me knowing.”<br/><br/>“Look Mr. Snow, we the people, know your kind. We noticed you and your kind heart the moment you stepped foot here for the contracts. You’ve been kind, fair and generous towards us. This shit has gone out of control and is eventually going to explode in the ways that we cannot imagine. The workers union doesn’t give a shit about us. Your boss clearly doesn’t even want to know what we are doing but you, you’ve come from the lowest parts of the jobs, that I can tell. You are the only one who can help us, so please for fuck’s sake, do help us. What are we going to do?”<br/><br/></em>The silence was deafening and Jon felt like there were a million eyes staring at him. Then it hit him. All those large sums of money coming in and going out, everyone being in on this, but him running all the numbers and not knowing a single thing… He was the one laundering all that trafficking money from day one. He had been set up and easily could end up being the fall guy to this. His expression changed from sadness to rage but he kept his calm.<br/><br/>“<em>Hack the cameras, bury the bodies, hide the container and send me the coordinates. Only you and I will know about the coordinates, is that clear? You wanted my help and you will get it but you will shut the fuck up and not tell a single living soul about this whole thing. Am I understood?”<br/><br/></em>Beric’s smile reached his eyes. He extended his hand to Jon and they shook hands.<br/><br/>“<em>Yes Mr. Snow, it’s all very clear to me.”<br/><br/></em>With that, Jon left the harbor and took a long walk to clear his head. He called Marge to make the reservations ready for Winterfell but made sure he wouldn’t be in the same flight with Arianne and Gendry. Once he ended the call, his phone immediately started ringing again. It was his aunt and there was no escape from this. Clearly Davos was with her when he had called him so he reluctantly answered.<br/><br/>“<em>JON STARK. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO COME BY WINTERFELL WITHOUT ME KNOWING OR HEARING ABOUT IT? AND HOW IN THE WORLD YOU WOULD JUSTIFY NOT LETTING YOUR AUNT IN ON IT?”<br/><br/>“Stark? Aunt Lyanna, you know that I don’t go by that name anymore.”<br/><br/>“You are Jon Stark and you will always be Jon Stark to me, no matter which bullshit surname you pick for your disguise. I heard you’re coming to Winterfell tomorrow and although I’m very upset because you didn’t call me first, I still would like to see you.”<br/><br/>“Aunt Lyanna, it’s a working trip, I’ll probably won’t even spend two days if everything goes right so dunno actually if I could swing by the mansion to see you quickly. Plus there is this whole issue with Ned being there and so on…”<br/><br/>“You will address your father with respect Jon. He isn’t some co-worker of yours that you are on first name basis with. This isn’t how I raised you.”<br/><br/>“Ah, can we please let this go? He disinherited me, told me to get lost, get out of his sight and never to return. So unless you can arrange something without him knowing, I don’t think I’ll get to see you. Half of what I’ll do will be in White Harbor anyway.”<br/><br/>“Well, the good thing is that he is in Karhold on livestock business and won’t be returning to the mansion until the weekend. Therefore neither you will need to sneak in, nor will I need to arrange something without him knowing. You will come to the mansion, straight from your flight and I want no excuses, no objections.”<br/><br/></em>The call was ended before Jon could even respond. He both wanted to see his aunt and felt obliged to do so. After all, he had grown up a motherless child and his aunt Lyanna had been the only person to attend his needs. She had helped him when he decided to run to King’s Landing to start university, secretly sent him money until he could get a job and supported him throughout his career. He needed to do that and with the opportunity presenting itself, he was going to. He made a quick call to Marge to book him an earlier flight as he had personal business to handle in Winterfell and headed home to pack his things for the trip.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>One of the good things about Ned slowly retiring and Dany starting to manage was that now they would work only six days a week. Ned being old school, wanted to keep the shop open at all times, but Dany had convinced him to close down for at least one day so that they could all spend time with their families. Tormund would tend to his mother, Jorah and Edmure would get to spend quality family time and she would stay in the mansion, paint, spend time with Ashara, have tea with Lyanna and go through the pictures she had taken for the book.<br/><br/>When she woke up and headed downstairs she found everyone to be awake and the whole place in pure rush. Lyanna was in the middle of the chaos, barking orders, shouting out recipes and overseeing preparations. It wasn’t up to her to question the motives but clearly something was going on so she went to her and asked what was going on. Within the five years she had spent in the Stark mansion, Dany had never seen Lyanna to be this happy. Her eyes were shining and she couldn’t keep herself from smiling when their eyes locked. “<em>Jon will be here this afternoon” </em>was all she said and she returned to what she was doing. Dany had never seen Jon in the flesh, she had only seen a picture of his from fifteen years ago, when he had graduated from high school. His name was barely spoken for the reasons she knew so she knew about not bringing his name up, especially with Ned. With Lyanna however, it was a different case so she decided to not to interfere.<br/><br/>She took her little motorbike and started riding towards the town to get fresh groceries and spices. The air was warm, there was a nice breeze and with the shopping being complete, she was in a very good mood returning home. Just when she was passing through the market street, a white car making strange movements was coming from the opposing way of the street and despite her honking and shouting, it kept coming towards her. In a hustle, she made a hard right and crashed over some of the groceries waiting by the road, while that car made a sharp turn itself and started disappearing. Enraged by what happened, she gathered herself, collected the stuff she bought and started chasing the car. Funny enough, the car was heading towards the mansion, but towards the back entrance of it. She lost trail of the car for a while but then found it parked next to the woods of the back entrance, where the unused pool was.<br/><br/>She walked slowly and quietly to not to be noticed but couldn’t see where the man had gone to. The whole video and social media thing had been on her nerves and she was panicking inwardly, thinking that this could be a trap set up to kidnap her and take her back to Drogo’s clutches. She tried to focus, but fear was taking over her and her movements got even slower. Then she heard a charming voice calling her way but couldn’t figure out where the voice was coming from. When she moved towards the pool, she finally saw the owner of the voice, as he had fallen into the unused pool.<br/><br/>“<em>Excuse me miss, can you please help me to get out of this place?”<br/><br/>“So you’re the asshole who tried to kill me moments ago?”<br/><br/>“Asshole? Tried to kill you? I don’t even know who you are miss. If you’re not going to help me, at least can you pass me the phone near the springboard?”</em><br/><br/>“<em>Yes, you asshole tried to kill me moments ago on the market street. You almost ran me over with your stupid car and now you want my help? For your sake I hope you know how to swim, because I’m not going to be the one to help you.”<br/><br/></em>With that, she kicked the phone away and started the water. The pool started filling as the man shouted from behind her but Dany didn’t care. She looked at her bruises, muttered a curse and made her way to the mansion to change, attend to her daughter and stay out of the chaos as much as possible. When she got home, she found Ashara playing games with Beth, blew a kiss to her from the door and continued to the shower. She rinsed all the vegetable smell off of her, put on her loose home clothes and went to her painting room. It was a calm day apart from all the servants continuously running around. She then noticed the same car pulling up at the main entrance of the mansion and the man getting out of the car, soaked in muddy water. She chuckled inwardly and hoped that he would try to make a scene so that the workers here would kick his ass and send him packing to wherever he came from.<br/><br/>Instead, she saw Lyanna Stark rushing towards the gate and engulfing the man in a bone crushing hug, not giving two shits about the state of his clothing or his body. She watched carefully as servants immediately brought him fresh clothing and food arrived for him right away. Then it hit her that Jon was coming to the mansion in the afternoon and that had to be him. He was comely, had great hair and had a really handsome face, not to mention he was well-built and clearly didn’t skip leg day. She did admire his body but resented his behavior at the same time. Not just towards Ned or the Stark family in general but there was also a little detail that he had almost killed her an hour ago or so. She tried to look away but couldn’t concentrate on anything else. Assuring herself that nobody was aware that she was staring, she kept a close eye on Jon and Lyanna. He was making her laugh, holding her hand and telling her things. It made her wonder what had gone wrong between father and son for real, as she only knew Ned’s side of the story. While getting lost in her thoughts, she then heard a screeching tire sound as the ongoing laughter died suddenly and when she looked from her window once again, she saw father and son come face to face, for the first time in fifteen years.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Confrontations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jon's presence in the North causes things to stir and tensions to boil, while Dany finds herself in the middle of the Stark family drama. Meanwhile in King's Landing, a dangerous game is being played.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>(1 Hour Ago)</em><br/>
<br/>
His phone didn’t stop ringing after he got off the flight.<br/>
<br/>
Arianne was constantly calling, Marge was texting him info updates, Gendry was continuously asking about places they could go and eat at but all he wanted at that point was some peace and quiet. He just had to get to see his aunt before all the shitstorm began and get back to work. There was already a car rented for his name, so he went to pick it up from the counter, only to find a small, white car, which looked more like a toy. Muttering curses to himself, he took the keys and started driving towards the mansion. His phone wouldn’t shut up so he tossed it to the passenger seat and hit the gas hard.<br/>
<br/>
His phone kept ringing and ringing during the road. Jon fucking hated his busy life sometimes and especially when he was out of the office, he hated to have to check out his phone for work related reasons. When he got home, all he wanted to do would be having a nice meal, enjoying a glass of something and then crashing into his couch, watching a nice movie and falling asleep. Even those had been luxurious for him in the past month and he really hoped that now the merger had been done, he could take a breather.<br/>
<br/>
Only he knew that he wouldn’t be able to. All the issues from the harbor came back to him. The dead bodies, the smell… Then everyone being in on it came to his mind and it made him furious. He knew that he was the only one who could help the workers and he was going to have to. Somebody had to clean that mess, without getting the authorities too involved. He was angry on so many levels that for a moment he felt like he wasn’t himself but instead he felt like he was Ned Stark. What he feared the most in his life was to become like him and even the thought of it terrified him.<br/>
<br/>
And the fucking phone just wouldn’t shut up. He never had the luxury of putting it on silent, was never allowed to take a day off and desperately needed everyone to leave him the fuck alone under this much stress. When the phone started ringing again, he reached for it with the purpose of smashing it but saw that Lyanna Mormont was calling. He tried to answer, but then had to keep the car under control and the road in check at the same time. During all that mess, he dropped the phone, tried to take it from where he dropped it, found it answered and told her to go ahead and do it, noticed that he was about to crash somewhere and at the very last second took the car under control and hit the gas once more to speed up towards the mansion.<br/>
<br/>
Deciding to take the back entrance, he drove towards there and parked this shitty car into the woods. He started walking towards the old pool that he used to swim in and found it to be deserted, rusty and filled with leaves that had fallen from the trees around. He took his phone out to take a picture and then stepped on the springboard, without thinking that it might give way under his weight and within seconds, he found himself at the bottom of the pool. After numerous tries to climb out of the pool, he noticed a blond tiny figure walking towards and called for help.<br/>
<br/>
When the woman had accused him of trying to kill her, he didn’t understand the situation and thought that it was some crazy bitch working at the mansion. Then it came to his mind that he had dropped his phone and had lost control of the car for a while. Clearly he accidentally almost ran her over but, then again she had filled the pool on him. He would need to fix the misunderstanding and apologize for the situation when he managed to get out. The least he could do was trying to be civil, because in his mind that was the biggest difference between himself and Ned Stark.<br/>
<br/>
Finally he got out of the damn pool, called his aunt to tell her that he was on his way but would need fresh clothing. He then took the car, arrived at the front gate at full speed and immediately was engulfed in a bear hug by his aunt. He started laughing out of joy, for the first time in many years. He was reunited with the only family he still had and he wanted to make the best of the time. So he told her all the good things about his life in King’s Landing, told jokes, complimented her on how she still looked young, completely ignoring all the bullshit he had been through in the past few months or so. For a brief moment, all was well with the world, until he heard the screeching tires of a big black car nearby the front gate. The driver Rodrik, immediately stepped out to open the passenger door and out walked Ned Stark, looking as menacing as he used to. He had more gray hair than the last time Jon saw him, but he thought that to be normal. Lyanna’s smile had died and the happiness in her eyes was replaced by fear.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
(Present)<br/>
<br/>
Jon calmly stood up from his seat, not letting his aunt’s hand go. He refused to look Ned in the eye as he gave Lyanna a hug, with the intention of departing and not causing a scene. To his surprise, Lyanna stood up and tried to prevent him from leaving. In a blur, he heard Ned questioning what the fuck he was doing there. He softly patted his aunt on the shoulder and tried to go past by Ned, still without making eye contact. Just when he thought he had passed him by and left it all behind once again, he felt himself smashing to the wall, with the executioner still staring at him. He heard a sliding door open nearby but saw Lyanna making a move towards the sound, meaning that no one would be able to interrupt what was to come.<br/>
<br/>
Jon was awaiting more insults coming his way but then Ned turned his attention to Lyanna and started shouting at her. His aunt, who had no fault in this situation, was getting shouted at because of him and he wasn’t going to stand here and take it. This wasn’t her fault and Jon had reached his limit. He pulled Ned from his arm, away from her and stood in between them. It had begun.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Stop shouting at her.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Dany watched with fear from her window. When she had seen Ned come in, she wanted to get out, but once Lyanna had heard her door sliding, she had immediately signaled at her to stay away. It was a wise decision to not to reveal herself at this moment, not at least when father and son were about to go at it. This felt somehow disturbing, as she remembered her own father and that brought shivers to her spine. Trying to stay as silent as possible, she watched what was going on.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You are the same Ned Stark alright. Uncivilized as you used to be.”<br/>
<br/>
“Aye, I am the same Ned Stark alright, but who the fuck are you? I remember you leaving this place a little shit and you still are a little shit.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>To that, Jon didn’t respond but straightened himself up. Only then Dany noticed that he was actually as tall as Ned and was better built. Ned raised his hand to slap him to her horror but then he stopped. Jon hadn’t flinched, hadn’t moved and was actually looking Ned in the eye. He was standing up, not just for himself, but clearly for his aunt too. So there was a soft side to the heartless Jon Stark, who had abandoned his family.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Maybe you’re not the same after all. You’ve gotten soft.”</em><br/>
<br/>
A thunderous slap hit Jon’s face right after that sentence but he didn’t flinch. He just kept staring at Ned, spat on his feet and just walked past by him furiously. Ned was still shouting after Jon, who didn’t even turn back to look at anyone he had left behind. Maybe that was the last severe damage their relationship had taken and now everything had become irremediable. She then saw Lyanna crying loudly and barely being able to take a seat while Ned just stood there, muttering curses. Having had enough, she slid the door open and walked to the courtyard. When she tried to approach Ned, he just put his hand up and stopped her. Giving him a disapproving look, she then helped Lyanna back to her quarters. The old woman was clearly still in shock after what had taken place and would need help to gather herself together.<br/>
<br/>
Once she settled Lyanna to her bed, she decided to stay for a while to actually help her cool down from the events transpired. She was crying like a little girl, having lost all hope of ever seeing Jon again, as long as Ned was alive. She kept mumbling that it was her fault that this had happened but Dany didn’t think it that way. She couldn’t have known that Ned would return a day earlier than he told them. Once it looked like Lyanna wasn’t going to be able to peacefully gather herself together, Danny offered her a sedative pill, which the old woman gladly took. Once Lyanna was asleep, Dany quietly left to look for Ned, only to find him playing with her daughter at the courtyard. She didn’t want a screaming match, so decided to watch them from afar for a while and eventually went back to her painting room.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What do you mean lost? How can you fucking lose a huge-ass container from the main harbor? That isn’t a place where anyone can just walk in and take something away.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know Mr. Martell, but I will find out.”</em><br/>
<br/>
While that promise did sound vague, Oberyn knew that Ramsay Bolton was capable of unspeakable things, just that he wasn’t a bloody poet. He always had a disturbing smile on his face and had no sense of empathy. He was like a mad dog, only knew how to attack and had no idea about defending or preserving anything. He was however, very useful, straight to point and while excelling at solving problems, he never asked questions. He had said that he would find out and Oberyn was sure that he could.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>If there isn’t anything else, then you’re dismissed.”<br/>
<br/>
“Actually sir, there is one more thing.”<br/>
<br/>
“Continue.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yesterday evening, Jon Snow tried to access the vault folders but was naturally denied access, since those are only available to you, me and now eventually Mr. Lannister.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why would he try accessing the vault folders? He should have known that it is beyond his station.”<br/>
<br/>
“It is possible that that might be linked to the container issue sir. After all, he is the one who is responsible from that harbor.”<br/>
<br/>
“Never once in eight years he did something like that. Make sure that he doesn’t get his hands on any of the files in the vault. Do what you must, after all you know about this IT crap better than I do.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes sir.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>And Ramsay, on your way out, tell my assistant to get Tycho Nestoris on the phone.”</em><br/>
<em><br/>
(8 Years Ago)</em><br/>
<br/>
Oberyn was insanely uncomfortable being here, but there was no choice.<br/>
<br/>
Robert Baratheon was an official who was related to the state in some senses but still was a different entity and worked for himself only. At least that was what Oberyn thought. Robert was walking him through the stages of the trade and how the business worked with the harbors.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You will detach all the containers and those will be removed from the system. We will give you the new system and tech-support for this, no worries. Your finances will need slight manipulation, as containers are lost from the system, a large sum will leave your accounts, only to return from an overseas account, hence, completing the laundering. Is that understood?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure, but how do you plan to manipulate all this? Is there really a system that can do all you just said to me?”<br/>
<br/>
“A system on its own won’t be enough. A man, using the system however, will change things.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Robert pointed at the car, waiting about a hundred meters away from them and Ramsay Bolton exited from the left passenger seat.<br/>
<br/>
(Present Day)<br/>
<br/>
<em>“What do you want me to do Nestoris? If it’s lost, it’s lost. We are searching for it of course. You will keep quiet and keep your workers in check. I have to go now, something’s going on here.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The knocking on his door had grown louder and before he could tell whoever it was to come in, Ramsay barged in, breathing heavily.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>The vault is under attack. I tried to stop it but, whoever it was, clearly possessed extreme amount of coding skills.”<br/>
<br/>
“Did you manage to save the data?”<br/>
<br/>
“I held them off, but it won’t stop here, I’m sure of it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Suddenly, Ramsay’s phone buzzed again and he rushed outside, straight towards the IT labs. Oberyn followed him from the security camera as he typed codes, paused the loading process but once the loading restarted and he had no choice, he pulled the plug from the main device and shut down the electricity of the whole floor. When the lights came back, the loading was completed and Ramsay lost it, smashed the keyboards into the screens, kicked the computers, chairs and tables, until he could breathe normally. Then he just took a look at the mirror, gathered himself, fixed his suit and left the lab. He quickly stopped by his door, took a look inside at Oberyn, who was watching him in complete shock.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>They have the data but I will get it back.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Oberyn wasn’t sure if the data could be saved, but he had at least some hopes about the container. He wondered if Jon had made a move on this but then again he had just sent him away to Winterfell and he couldn’t have done it from there. Dismissing the idea in his head, he decided to focus on what was in front of him and tried to forget about what had just taken place. What he didn’t know was that a very satisfied Lyanna Mormont, with her purring cat on her lap was smiling at her screen, going through the data she had just hacked for her boss.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
Despite having given her the sedative, Dany was very much worried about Lyanna. Figuring that drawing or painting today was a lost cause, she decided to go check on her, only to find the old woman looking at her phone and silently weeping. She quietly entered to room, trying to not to disturb Lyanna, but was noticed immediately. She tried to get up but Dany signaled her to not to bother. She sat by the bed and held Lyanna’s hand. There was a picture of her and Jon, a recently taken selfie. It was a beautiful picture, both of them were smiling and the smiles were sincere. This was the closest look she had on Jon and damn he was handsome. Still, it wasn’t the time to think about lust, because Lyanna needed her help.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Are you okay? Do you need anything? Anything I can do, I’ll do it for you, just say the word.”<br/>
<br/>
“No thanks dear, you cannot bring back what’s gone anyway. You might have tons of questions in your head and if you haven’t figured it out already, that was Jon. Probably I’ll never get to see him here again though. Not after what happened today.”<br/>
<br/>
“But why is Ned so angry at him still? Fifteen years is a long time to stay angry at someone.”<br/>
<br/>
“If only he was angry at him for just these fifteen years. Ned has been angry at him since the day he was born. When Ashara died giving birth to him, everything changed. Ned wasn’t always this angry at everything before that. When she died, something inside of him died too. Some part of him always blamed Jon, because while he lived, Ashara couldn’t. So he took it out on him. He wasn’t ever interested in the boy for once. I was the one who tended to his needs. Because if I couldn’t have loved a motherless child, that would have made me a monster.”<br/>
<br/>
“But he was just an infant… Why? How?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know and honestly, we’ll never know. Still, it was much better when Jon still lived here. Ned maybe never showed it but I knew there was love in his heart for him. Some part of me still believes that he actually does love his boy. After all he is his own flesh and blood.”<br/>
<br/>
“Forgive me if I’m overstepping but, what truly went wrong all those years ago?”<br/>
<br/>
(15 Years Ago)<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Aunt Lyanna… AUNT LYANNA! The results came!”<br/>
<br/>
“Well boy, what is it? I’m sure you’ve made us all proud. Tell me which school and which department.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s KLU-Finances Aunt Lyanna, just like I’ve always dreamed about. </em><br/>
<br/>
“<em>THAT’S MY BOY! I’m so happy for you. Well, do you want to tell your father about it now? You know that he’s at the restaurant but we can pay him a quick visit if you’d like.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes Aunt Lyanna. I hope he’ll be as proud as you are now.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Lyanna immediately called for Rodrik to take them to the restaurant. This was the most excited that he had seen the boy ever in his life. Rodrik, who barely spoke to anyone, let alone give a compliment, had actually given Jon a hug after learning about the result. The little boy was growing into a man and she felt her heart swell when she looked at him.<br/>
<br/>
The ride to the restaurant was short and uneventful. When Jon ran inside the restaurant with the result sheet in his hand, he was engulfed in a big hug by Tormund, while Jorah and Edmure came to hug him. Tormund looked the proudest, as he was ruffling Jon’s hair and telling him how the little crow was now on his way to being the lord commander. It was a sight that would melt stones and Lyanna couldn’t be happier.<br/>
<br/>
When Jon went to the kitchen to show his father about the results, Ned paid him no mind. He silently kept butchering the sheep, tied the cut that was to be marinated with a butchers twine and wiped the sweat from his brow with his cloth. Jon was silently waiting for him to be done with it and once he was done, he softly put the result sheet on the counter. At that very moment, Lyanna felt cold, like the white walkers of the tales had come down to the face of the earth. Ned’s expression was numb as he picked up his chef’s knife from its resting place, took a look at the sheet and then chopped it in half with his knife.<br/>
<br/>
There were tears in Jon’s eyes as he kept staring at Ned, who paid him no mind and kept on slicing steaks. He wasn’t interested in anything about Jon becoming his own man. All he cared about was that Jon to replace him at the head of the table when the time came. Jon was meant to continue his legacy and Ned neither cared for, nor approved any other possibility for the future. She could only look as a heartbroken Jon picked up the pieces of the sheet and quietly walked out of the restaurant.<br/>
<br/>
(Present Day)<br/>
<br/>
<em>“He always intended Jon to become the next one in charge of the restaurant. The void he left behind when he left looked like it would never be filled. None of us thought otherwise at that moment. Then again we couldn’t have known that you would breathe life into him again and fill that big dark void Jon left.”<br/>
<br/>
“If only they talked, this could still be salvaged.”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t you think we tried? Tormund tried then Jorah, then Edmure. Then I tried numerous times. Even Rodrik, who barely speaks a word tried to fix this. Davos tries on a regular basis but gets shut down. This stupid, nonsense stubbornness is costing them both and hurting all of us at the same time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Do you think I could get to Ned about this?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not even you could.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
That little shit.<br/>
<br/>
Not only he had disrespected by conspiring behind his back, he had actually called him soft. Plus he had come in a car which looked like a toy. The asshole had some nerve for sure. He had killed the love of his life, caused him nothing but sorrow and pain throughout the time he had lived. The doctor had banned him from smoking but at this point he didn’t really care. He lit one up, inhaled it fully and while coughing his lungs out, exhaled slowly as it hit his head. He saw Tormund at the main gate, coming in, dropping by Lyanna’s quarters and then slowly making his way towards him. Normally Tormund would be very mad at him for smoking, but at this point he didn’t give a shit anymore. The giant of a red haired man looked at him with sad eyes, almost questioning the situation without speaking. Ned knew he had to be honest with him so he didn’t hold back.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>That little shit had the nerve to come here. Conspired behind my back to actually come to my house, where I live and sleep. He was banished from my life, from all of ours for not being loyal, not caring about our legacy. Fucking little twat, I wish I had crushed his smug face, instead of just slapping him.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Tormund looked at his ranting with sad eyes and just shook his head in disapproval.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>It might be weird coming from me, but this is one issue where violence won’t solve shit. You cannot reach him by being tough, hard and violent and so on. You never have been able to and now you think it’s magically gonna change?”<br/>
<br/>
“No but…”<br/>
<br/>
“No buts Ned. I just came from Lyanna’s side and I have never seen her this devastated in my life. Ever.”<br/>
<br/>
“She’s lucky that I didn’t banish her from these grounds and sent her to the Gift.”<br/>
<br/>
“Banish her? Oh so you would banish Dany for the same reason? Because we know whose side she would take in this.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Tormund had hit him where it hurt the most. Dany was his soft spot and he knew it. Everyone knew it actually but almost nobody used it against him. Figuring that he needed to be alone, he dismissed Tormund and told him to get back to work. He on the other hand had some walking to do. He slowly walked through the glass gardens and reached the Godswood, where his grandparents, his father Rickard, his mother Lyarra and finally his wife, the love of his life Ashara, was buried. He picked a winter rose from beneath the heart tree, dipped it into the pool which had turned red with the leaves from the weirwood and planted on her grave.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“I don’t know what to do my love. I’m aware that I’m reaching the end of the road and each day is bringing me closer to you. Still, I can’t fix anything with the boy. I haven’t been able to since you’ve been gone. I regret it every day and when I saw him today, I regretted everything once more. There is so much of you in him and the parts of me that I don’t like. Maybe Dany might fix things after I’m gone but…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Words choked in his throat as Ned Stark softly and silently cried in front of his wife’s grave out of helplessness and regret, away from all the eyes around him.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
He actually had the nerve to hit him.<br/>
<br/>
Sure, this wasn’t the first time Ned Stark physically abused him but, as a grown man, Jon could have easily defended himself. Sure, he could have kicked his ass but that would have made him just another Ned Stark. He drove fast and furiously to the hotel, dropped that toy of a car to the valet and walked straight to the lobby. Arianne and Gendry looked at him like they had seen a ghost and Ari immediately rose from her seat to rush next to him. Jon stopped her with a hand gesture and headed straight to the receptionist’s desk to get his keys.<br/>
<br/>
After a shower, he was feeling more like himself. He picked a rather casual suit to dress himself with, as they were going to go rural for the business meeting. When his phone rang, he noticed it was Davos so answered quickly, only to learn that he was waiting by the lobby. He liked the old man a lot, considering that he had been more of a father to him than Ned Stark. He put his phone on speaker and called Lyanna Mormont to ask whether the job was complete. The phone was answered but there was no sound on the other end of the line. Jon went ahead and asked anyway whether the vault files were accessed. The answer he received was a simple yes and for some reason, Jon roared at this like he won the world title in something. He congratulated Mormont but gathered himself quickly told her that Sam would give her a call and she is to meet with him, with the files, when he calls. Mormont ended the conversation without uttering nothing but a simple yes and Jon couldn’t help but laugh at the young woman’s ultra-reserved persona.<br/>
<br/>
He went on to call Sam next, told him to go buy a new laptop and meet Mormont at any place but the office. When Sam blabbed and asked if this was about the harbor, Jon just told him to do as he said. The task was simple now they had the data and Sam was the best man for the job. A sent was text to Marge after the call, warning her about keeping Sam in check about the whole thing so that he could only focus on his job. Taking a final look at himself in the mirror, Jon decided he was ready to get out and get going.<br/>
<br/>
When he reached the lobby, he immediately saw Davos and made his way towards him. Noticing Jon was coming his way; Davos stood up and looked at him with very proud eyes. They hugged, immediately sat down and started talking since this was their first face to face conversation in years.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Have you seen your aunt? You know that she was very upset when you called me but not her. You should go see her if you haven’t already.”<br/>
<br/>
“I knew it was your doing and yes, I actually went by to see her but then my father happened.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh shit, really? What happened?”<br/>
<br/>
“Nothing new to be honest... He came by, shouted at me a lot, then shouted at her a lot and then he slapped me and I left.”<br/>
<br/>
“Not good. When are you guys going to stop this? This isn’t helping the either of you. If you could just sit down and talk…”<br/>
<br/>
“You know I tried Davos but he is hard as a rock. I guess I take after him in that department as well. Anyway, to get to business, tell me a little about this Mance Rayder so I go in prepared.”<br/>
<br/>
“Mance is one of the richest men in the area. Very well could compete with your father to be honest, but he’s made his money out of different things. He and his people first started with illegal trade from beyond the wall. They have all those trucks, all those ships to direct trade with all around the northeast coast line. They even got into construction business for a while near the Riverlands border but that didn’t work out and they got back to what they know the best. What business do you have with Mance anyway?”<br/>
<br/>
“We’ll be opening a new facility near the port. Everything is done, ready, the loan is ready, but he doesn’t even negotiate about the land. We first asked to buy it from him but he refused. Then tried renting for multiple years, he refused again. That land is a must for us, we need to acquire it, no matter what the cost.”<br/>
<br/>
“Look Jon, these are tough men but Mance Rayder is a fair person. Still you probably wouldn’t be able to buy the land off of him but renting would be a smart strategy. He negotiates only in good faith and doesn’t believe in long term contracts. You need to first have a handshake deal with him and then put everything to contract. He’s a hard man to deal with but I have a feeling that he’ll like you. Just make sure it’ll be you doing the talking, not these two friends of yours who are coming by.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon chuckled to that statement and rose from his seat. After introducing Arianne and Gendry to Davos, he quickly briefed them about how they were going to go forward with the plan. He noticed Davos watching him proudly as he bossed both Ari and Gendry around with the negotiation plans. He still didn’t like Gendry having a seat at their table and was not going to take Ari take any rein, not especially here in the North.<br/>
<br/>
When they stepped out of the door, he found himself staring at that little shit of a white, toy-like car. Certainly it wasn’t going to take four people and even if it did, Jon didn’t want anyone else to see that car. He quietly turned to Davos and with a slick smile he suggested that they took his jeep to White Harbor, which was quickly approved and they began their trip.<br/>
<br/>
The trip to White Harbor only took about 45 minutes and the ride was silent. Silence was what Jon had desperately needed so he couldn’t be happier about that. Once they reached the gates, they slowed down and the after briefly being checked by the security, they were let inside. Davos had joked about the fact that, if they had taken Jon’s car, probably the security would have turned them away and that was met with slight chuckles from Arianne and Gendry.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
It was terrifying to be here.<br/>
<br/>
Ari had worked around men almost all her life and they were nothing but tools. Her father had groomed her to be strong and unwavering. "<em>Unbent, unbowed, unbroken."</em> he would say to her. She was brought up to thrive in environments like these and although she probably had seen much worse up until today, this was somehow the most terrifying place that she had ever been in. She didn’t trust that tool Gendry, no matter how friendly he was towards her and Jon had been acting insanely strange, ever since the night of the dinner at the family mansion. First he had changed flights, then he had disappeared and he had barely spoken to her throughout this trip. Then again he looked focused and determined, which meant that he really wanted to get through with this business and go back to King’s Landing.<br/>
<br/>
This Davos was a truly strange fellow, but then again he had gotten them farther than three weeks of negotiating had. She knew Baelish would have screwed up during this but then again, her father had insisted on sending him here. It was like he almost wanted him to screw up so he could send Jon here to look better. She knew about his plans concerning Jon and while she didn’t like the idea of being forced into a relationship by any means, her crush on Jon was one of the things that had kept her going with her life.<br/>
<br/>
In the middle of the huge land they kept walking through, she saw a little hut like building. She cursed inwardly about having worn heels but had to keep going for a short while more. When they reached the building, she actually noticed that it was more like a villa, very modestly designed with only some Northern artifacts in the garden as decoration. Out came a tall and well-built man, clearly hardened by his years with a few grays in his hair. He took a good look at her and Gendry first, then set his sights on Jon and smiled. The smile reached his eyes when he saw Davos and the two shook hands. With that she knew that they were welcome here. She politely smiled at Mance and that smile was returned, though clearly he was more interested in Jon and Jon was meant to lead the negotiation so it was fine. Ari decided to stay as quiet as possible as the two initiated the conversation. She knew the handshake deal would be really important at that point and the contract would follow.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“So, you’re Ned Stark’s son, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s true. What of it?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Mance just smiled at that and pointing at her, he asked who she was. Davos was paying this no attention and just when she was about to speak, Gendry interfered and told Mance that she was the daughter of the boss, which she took personal. She pinched Gendry, pulled him back and stepped forward.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’m not here as the boss’s daughter, I’m here as the CFO of Martell Investment.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There. That was the show of strength needed. Mance Rayder took another good look at him and nodded in approval. He then again turned his attention to Jon and started talking about how big of an influence Ned Stark had been to him and kept on praising Ned for at least a good half hour. Clearly Jon was uncomfortable with the whole thing, as he was just smiling politely but Ari knew him well enough to understand that the smile was insincere, since it barely reached his eyes. When Mance said that he hadn’t heard about Jon until this day, Davos cleared his throat and signaled that the topic needed to get back to business.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So anyway yes, this negotiator, what was his name ah… Baelish, wasn’t it? A slimy piece of shit, clearly from the Fingers, tried to come and sell me lots of Southern crap that I find distasteful and untrustworthy. I was on the verge of beating him up because he talked too much and whether he was aware or not, he kept on insulting everything I stand for. So no more negotiations with him or any deal is off, even before it’s discussed. Is that clear to all of you? Oh and by the way, you all will be my guests at the plateau house so don’t overfeed yourselves just yet.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She and Jon came eye to eye and with Jon signaling that it would be rude to refuse, they all nodded in unison as Mance signaled Jon to follow him to the outside for a short while. Ari was afraid, afraid that this deal wouldn’t go through, afraid that she would need to face her father’s wrath if the deal failed, afraid that Jon would drift further away from her. Everything terrified her and she desperately needed to get away from here but had to pull through, for the sake of the future. When she noticed that she was staring blank, she decided to turn her attention to Davos for some friendly chit chat, completely ignoring Gendry, who was rushing through all the snacks, like he hadn’t devoured three plates of food at breakfast.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So who are you exactly? Are you related to Jon or what? He almost never mentions his life in here so I apologize if I’m being rude.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh no, not at all. I’m their family lawyer, just decided to come by because I knew it would help speed up the negotiations with Mance. Wait, did you say he almost never mentions his life in here? That little shit.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not really. None of us know anything about anything. We only know that he’s from Winterfell and that’s all. What is his family like?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, his family is pretty much two people. His father and aunt are alive and that’s it. His mother passed giving birth to him.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh… I really had no idea. That’s maybe why he is so preserved. But what about these people and this Mance Rayder? Do you think that they are trustworthy?”<br/>
<br/>
“These are hard people, but once you earn their trust, they will protect you with their lives. That’s why they are speaking alone. I’m sure Mance wants to get a measure of him before deciding on anything.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point, the old man’s phone started ringing and he mumbled that he had to take it and started walking away. It was so silent that Ari could hear the loud shouting from the other end, while Davos, who was clearly uncomfortable, was trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. She heard an old angry man shouting “<em>Bring the papers tomorrow!” </em> from the speaker of the phone but paid it no mind and kept watching Jon as closely as possible.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
Mance Rayder was a tough old bastard.<br/>
<br/>
He was clearly well informed, not to mention very quick on his feet. Jon understood that Mance had been in the business for a long time, possibly having started even before he was born. First it was questions about Ned and what had dragged him away from the North, which Jon wasn’t necessarily comfortable about answering but he still managed. Later however, when he thought the onslaught had passed, this time questions about Oberyn started dropping one by one and that was where Mance showed him his hand.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Now I didn’t want to embarrass the girl by tearing her father to pieces in front of her. That also would have caused her to go defensive and it would have fucked up everything. Now believe me Jon, I would like to do business with you, I really do. You definitely are your own man, clearly a lot different from your father. Operating in the new ways, but you aren’t dismissing the old men like me. I’m sure your boss and people around him have earned your respect and molded you into what you are today, but with all that I have seen and heard about Oberyn Martell, it’s impossible for me to make a deal with you here today.”<br/>
<br/>
“There has to be a way. I’m afraid I cannot accept a no at this point, so let’s bargain a little.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good. Still very much Northern after all. Present me with your terms but keep that in mind that I’m not selling.”<br/>
<br/>
“We rent the land from you, build the facilities and after we’re done, the facilities are yours, no questions asked.”<br/>
<br/>
“Still not good enough.”<br/>
<br/>
“We also rent the trucks from you for distribution so you make extra profit.”<br/>
<br/>
“That sounds much better. Still, I don’t want any containers lost, nothing out of the system. I know the illegal parts of this shit better than anyone. Can you promise me nothing illegal? I need everything to be done by the books.”<br/>
<br/>
“You have my word.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s good. Still, there’s one more thing I’d like to add.</em> <em>I will negotiate with you and only you. Your name goes on the contract, or there is no deal.”<br/>
<br/>
“I think that can be arranged after a phone call. Martell sent me here for this anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s better. I don’t trust that arrogant shit one bit. No offense Jon, but your boss isn’t very popular anywhere around the country.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s alright; I don’t need him to be popular. This is business after all, not a popularity contest.”<br/>
<br/>
“Very well, I appreciate pragmatism in business. What I don’t appreciate is people turning their backs on their families however.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll pretend that you never said that and I never heard it. What happens between me and my family is my own business.”<br/>
<br/>
“You are smart after all. Good. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine and this will be a fruitful deal. Get the necessary details for the contract and come back again. Then we’ll officially sign this deal and you’ll be a happy man I’m sure.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon felt a little triumphant after closing Mance like that, but couldn’t help doubting some of the stuff he had said, especially about lost containers and things out of the system. He knew that he’d need to assign Mormont to go through some more things for later on. When he checked his phone he had seen info texts from Marge, letting him know that she and Sam had met with Mormont and had taken the usb, plus Ramsay Bolton had looked for him during the day and the usual stuff. He knew that he was going to need to confront Ramsay but that still needed to wait. He couldn’t become a mad dog with a mad dog; therefore he had to think smart. Just when he was about to put his phone away, Ramsay called him. After letting it ring for a while, he excused himself and took the call.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Got very little time so be quick about it Bolton.”<br/>
<br/>
“Where the hell are you man? I checked your office but you weren’t there. Making it a habit to get off early from work?”<br/>
<br/>
“No dumbass, remember that I was sent to Winterfell for the northern harbors issue. Currently at White Harbor, negotiating with Mance Rayder.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh man, right, I forgot about that. Hope that works out fine for you, Mr. Martell looked quite stressed today.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll get the yes. So why were you looking for me?”<br/>
<br/>
“Näh nothing important, I was wondering maybe if you wanted to grab a drink after work, that’s all.”<br/>
<br/>
“No can do man. Will see you when I get back though, we’ll grab that drink.”<br/>
<br/>
“Cool. We’ll be in touch then. Good luck with Mance Rayder.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon knew that Ramsay was full of shit, but that still had to wait until he got back to King’s Landing. This wasn’t even round one between them yet and he’d need to play it cool in the long run. He was sure that Ramsay had reported the vault attack to Oberyn and would attack everyone and everything like a mad dog now. He had played it smart to keep Mormont out of his sight for the time being, but Jon knew that time would come that he would need to shield Mormont from that fucker. For the time being however, he still needed to play the game with Mance and look like he was enjoying it.<br/>
<br/>
The dinner was luckily rather cheerful and festive. The only moment Jon felt discomfort was when Mance had said that his people were no Ned Stark when it came to the kitchen, only for Ari to reply that Jon was a good cook himself. Mance had then casually responded that it was in his blood and he actually was forced to pinch Ari so that she wouldn’t drag the conversation further. Luckily no more family remarks were made and he had enjoyed his meal. Once he was full, he stepped away from the table to have a smoke and actually get some nice fresh and cold Northern air, only to be interrupted by Arianne approaching from behind. He heard her lighter click as she lit a cigarette and they stayed in comfortable silence for a while. Jon knew that a personal question would be on its way so he prepared himself to stay calm and not to act rash.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So what really happened earlier today? You looked like shit when you arrived at the hotel.”<br/>
<br/>
“An encounter with my father whom I hadn’t seen in fifteen years and it wasn’t a pleasant one.”<br/>
<br/>
“I would listen if you want to talk about it.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’d rather not. Let’s politely excuse ourselves and get back to the hotel.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They went back to the table, excused themselves by telling Mance that they still had a long way back to the hotel. Jon assured that a different lawyer would be sending the new contract and guaranteed that Petyr Baelish wouldn’t be involved by any means. Happy with the end result, Mance jokingly suggested that Martell Investment would sponsor a transfer for the Winterfell Wolves football team, to which Jon agreed whole-heartedly, knowing that it would be very good PR for the company. They were all full and tired on the way back to the hotel and once they made it, Jon told Arianne and Gendry to head inside, letting them know that he would say goodbye to Davos first and then make a call.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Thank you Davos, without you I don’t think we would’ve been received this warmly.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ah, no bother. Are you seeing your aunt before you leave?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>It seems like we’re taking the 3 pm flight. So yes, I’ll try and arrange something.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good. You shouldn’t let her down by any means. I heard that she was very upset about the encounter.”<br/>
<br/>
“Who wouldn’t be? I’ll try to make amends but I’m not promising anything.”<br/>
<br/>
“I understand. So, did your father see this toy of a car?”<br/>
<br/>
“Hahah yes he did. It was all a blur for me but I think one of his insults was about the car. Couldn’t really hear it that well while I was walking away from him.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With laughter, Davos took off and Jon watched his car disappear. He then called Marge to see what had happened with Mormont.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Hey Marge, Sam is still with you I believe? Put it on speaker please so I get a hold of the situation.”<br/>
<br/>
“Will do. Hey Sam, get your ass over here!”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh hi Jon. So yes, we went through the data, not even the half of it maybe but this is sick. There are fifteen to twenty containers lost from the system on each shipment. I wanted to upload this to the cloud to compare with the official numbers but Mormont prevented me from doing so. She said something about this might be noticed and guaranteed that she’ll bring me the official numbers tomorrow. How in the hell she accessed these files anyway?”<br/>
<br/>
“You let me worry about that part. Just do your work and be prepared with it until I return. Mormont isn’t to be bothered or disturbed during this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Whatever you say boss.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright, give the phone back to Marge. I have private business with her now.”<br/>
<br/>
“What is it Jon?”<br/>
<br/>
“WHAT IN THE WORLD MADE YOU THINK THAT I WANTED TO SPEND ANOTHER MINUTE IN THIS SHITHOLE? I HAD WANTED OUT OF HERE WITH THE FIRST FLIGHT BUT NOW I NEED TO STICK BY BECAUSE YOU DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD RETURN AT 3 PM.”<br/>
<br/>
“Jon I didn’t mean to, the morning flight was booked…”<br/>
<br/>
“SAVE IT.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>When the conversation ended, Jon couldn’t believe how he reacted towards Marge for a simple thing. Sure he didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in this godforsaken place but still, it wasn’t Marge’s fault. He hadn’t acted like himself but instead acted like Ned Stark. It hadn’t been even 24 hours but this place had started transforming him into what he hated the most.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
This clearly wasn’t how Dany imagined spending her day off.<br/>
<br/>
First she almost got killed, then she got stuck in between the family drama, had to spend the day helping Lyanna stay as stable as possible. Tormund dropping by had helped; they had snacked on the food that was prepared for Jon and during the time Lyanna had looked more like herself. Then she had to make sure that Ashara took her bath and as it happened on every day off, they watched a movie together. She hadn’t been able to have one minute to herself, let alone have the opportunity to draw and paint.<br/>
<br/>
She put Ashara to bed, heard Ned’s footsteps as they moved towards his bedroom and then she left Ashara’s room to check on Lyanna, only to find her asleep on the couch. When she woke her up to help her to her own room, the old woman mumbled about Jon and asked if he had come. Dany chuckled inwardly and smiled, telling Lyanna that it was only her and was here to help escort her to her room. Lyanna reluctantly agreed and went upstairs to her bedroom, which meant finally Dany was on her own and alone for a while, without any responsibility to attend to.<br/>
<br/>
She started drawing, but her injured hand started hurting at the same time. She heard Lyanna quietly sobbing, Ned’s radio being on and checked from the camera that Ashara was sound asleep. She couldn’t really concentrate on anything again, as the events of the day came back to her one by one. Deciding that this wasn’t the day to create anything, she tried going to sleep. It sucked that she had bruised her right arm, but the bruises weren’t the thing. Dany’s right hand had ached for the past seven years and it would keep on aching for the rest of her life.<br/>
<em><br/>
</em>The next morning however, the air was different and the feeling was different too. Dany got up early, earlier than everyone else at the house and left straightaway on her own. She had to make a stop at the market street anyway so it was good that she had left early. She passed by the grocery store owner whose vegetables she happened to trash yesterday and paid him for the compensation. Later she went by the business owners who rented their space from Ned and told them their due rents wouldn’t be collected for the upcoming two months on orders from Ned. People were hailing Ned Stark as she continued through the street to the market square near Wintertown, near which the restaurant was located. She made a quick stopped by the bijouterie since she was in need of hairpins and quickly bought a bunch from there. The owner argued with her when she wanted to pay, especially considering that Ned had helped her a lot but Dany wanted no arguments and just dropped the cash on the counter and left, only to run into a well-built man who was waiting at the door. She bumped into the man and almost lost her balance, which made her furious. The man however hadn’t moved an inch and was smiling.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well well, look who it is? The woman who tried drowning me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, isn’t it the man who tried to run me over? Can you go on with your business mister, I need get to work.”<br/>
<br/>
“I think an apology would do fine at this point, considering yesterday’s events?”<br/>
<br/>
“OH AN APOLOGY? Look at what you’ve done to my arm you bastard! You try killing me and I’ll return the favor. Deal with it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She pushed him away and went straight to the restaurant. How dare this man demand an apology from her after what he had done? She was fuming when she entered the restaurant and went straight to the manager’s office, completely ignoring all the greetings. Just when she was settling her stuff she heard noises coming from the outside, only to find Jon engulfed in a group hug by Tormund, Edmure and Jorah. Two clueless tourist-like people followed Jon into the restaurant but were immediately seated by Edd so she didn’t have to interact with them. They kept butting heads and she was starting to find his presence threatening. They had got on the wrong foot but maybe this wasn’t the time to make things right with him. In any case, this man would be gone within a few days at most and she probably would never need to see him again so it wasn’t necessarily a big deal after all.<br/>
<br/>
Still, she was curious about this Jon and wanted to know more. When she noticed Tormund and others dragging him to the back patio, she followed them but stayed in the kitchen. Little Alys came and told her that it was Jon, to which she only nodded. She silently watched as Jon and the others conversed in excitement, with almost all the time one of the cooks clasping and arm or shoulder of Jon. He clearly seemed to be happy about this whole thing. When Barbrey came, Jon immediately rose from his seat and hugged her dearly. Alys, knowing that it was his cue to enter, had followed her mother inside, only for Jon to ask out loud whether if that was little Alys or not. Everyone seemed really happy from the outside as Dany watched with a little envy brewing inside her. When she heard from the main gate that Ned had arrived, she sent one of the waiters inside to let everyone know so they could get back to their stations. The band disbanded rather quickly and everyone was at their stations by the time she saw Ned step foot at the main gate. She went to check the back patio to see if Jon was still there, because already there were customers inside and the last thing they needed was another scene at the restaurant.  When she entered the patio, she saw Jon was about to jump down from the tree near the kitchen. Their eyes locked for a very brief moment which caused him to lose focus, making him slip and fall.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
This was the second time in two days that he had ended up in a mess thanks to that woman.<br/>
<br/>
He gathered himself, walked around the restaurant and signaled at Ari and Gendry to leave and follow him from the entrance. When Gendry started whinging, he told him to shut the fuck up and lead them to the car. When Ari abruptly asked whether this was about his family that he hadn’t ever mentioned, he just nodded and kept walking. Now that Ned was here at the restaurant, this was his chance to actually go and see his aunt and say goodbye before leaving. He drove as fast as possible with that shitty car and within no time, they were by the mansion. He saw a glance of his aunt by the glass gardens and immediately parked at the main gate. He quickly walked inside as the gatekeeper Jory welcomed him. He signaled to Jory to take care of Ari and Gendry and rushed inside towards the glass gardens, where his aunt was waiting for him, smiling.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Oh my boy, I never thought I would get to see you in a long long while. Not as long as Ned lived at least, but surely not today.”<br/>
<br/>
“I made sure he was at the restaurant before coming here. I heard he gave you a rough time after I left. I’m sorry about that.”<br/>
<br/>
“Now that you’re here, it’s not all that important. Still I will not take any further punishment because of the resentment between you two. That has to stop soon enough. You may not like him and you may not want to see him, that’s alright but you will keep in touch with me. I deserve at least that much.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re right; I shouldn’t have done this to you. I know, every time we talk or see I make the same promise but this time it’s going to be different. Plus I’ll be needed here more often now; especially this Mance Rayder wants me to be the bridge between his business and ours. I’ll try visiting more often and if I can’t, I’ll make sure that we at least manage to meet somewhere, every time I’m here on business.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re never going to return and settle here, right? I would be a fool to hope so as much. Still, one can hope when one enters the later stages of one’s life.”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t say things like that Aunt Lyanna. The business will keep me from relocating anyway but I promise, we’ll see and spend time more often.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s good. Your word gives me some relief at least and I feel that this time it’s different from the other times. I can hear it in your voice.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that she hugged him and Jon felt at peace like he hadn’t in many years. For him time had stopped at that moment and he didn’t know whether it was minutes or hours that had passed but all that quiet was interrupted by a little girl looking at him. Their eyes were locked but still he hadn’t let his aunt’s hand go. The girl moved a little closer and Jon extended his hand for the girl to take it. Suddenly she was on his lap and she was looking at him with keen interest. Unable to contain his curiosity, Jon decided to ask the little girl.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Mm and who would you happen to be?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The little girl shied away from answering the question but kept her spot, getting even more comfortable in the process. It was his aunt who answered the question for her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>She’s Dany’s daughter.”<br/>
<br/>
“Dany? Who is Dany?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>This time it was the little girl who answered:<br/>
<br/>
“<em>She’s my mom.”<br/>
</em><br/>
Jon kept looking at her aunt in an extremely puzzled manner and just when her aunt was about to answer that question too, his phone started ringing. He so didn’t want to answer the goddamn phone right now but when he looked at the screen, he knew that there was no chance that he could let this one go to voicemail.<br/>
<br/>
The screen read Oberyn Martell.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Now I know almost nothing has unfolded yet but hints are being dropped for the future events. Things will keep on getting more chatoic especially with the next chapter. It's already planned and I have some parts written down and I know where it will lead to, so get ready for some drama.</p>
<p>I had only published one story up until now and well, that was just that. However the positive reaction to the first chapter only has been more than I had expected. I'm glad the first chapter was well liked and hopefully this and the upcoming chapters will be as satisfying.</p>
<p>It was difficult to wrap this one up, as there were many things that I wanted to add but had to leave out and save for the upcoming chapters. I'll try to maintain the one chapter per week routine but again, no promises on that department.</p>
<p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. One Winged Angel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The game at King's Landing takes a more dangerous turn as players start revealing themselves. Meanwhile in the North, things start settling into their natural rythym.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I haven't been able to read through this chapter more than once so if there are any mistakes, please point them out and I'll correct them!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>(5 years ago)<br/><br/></em>He maybe had a little too much booze that time.<br/><br/>Every week on Wednesday, Ned Stark would leave the restaurant early to have a few drinks with his friends and would sleep through Thursday morning, only to show up at work later than usual. Tormund would open the restaurant and oversee the preparations, while he would have a long breakfast with Lyanna and discuss with her about the affairs of the mansion. This time however, was different. That fucking Robett had brought up the topic of sons, which had eventually led to Jon being talked about and that had pissed him off a lot. How he chose to deal with the matter was wrong on so many levels, as he had smoked furiously and downed drink after drink to cool down. His vision was blurred when he had left from Wintertown to walk back to the restaurant, hoping that the cold Northern air would help him sober up a little at least on the way home.<br/><br/>It hadn’t worked out that way though. He was maybe two blocks away from the restaurant as he felt a sharp pain at his left arm, his breathing became more rapid and when he wanted to check his pulse, he just couldn’t. The pain had brought him to his knees and he tried to take out his phone from the pocket of his jacket to call Tormund, who could come to his aid as fast as possible but he couldn’t do that either. He dropped the phone, watched it crash at slow motion as he collapsed to the hard road under him. It looked like a woman’s figure was approaching at him from a far, but maybe at that point he was hallucinating. He tried to open his mouth to cry for help, but only one word left his mouth and that came out as a whisper.<br/><br/>“<em>Ashara”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>She hated her life in Winterfell and wondered whether it was worse than what she had escaped.<br/><br/>This was the third different job that she was groped by a customer. Not to mention the several verbal harassments she had suffered from the bosses she had before. The Westerosi were cruel, rude and weak. Some of them reminded her of their father, while the abused women that she saw on the streets reminded her of her mother. She thought whether it was a shit world everywhere she went and started walking down the street. She had wanted to quit this job too but there was no guarantee that she could get another one, which meant starvation. She could have lived with little food, that wasn’t a big problem but her daughter who wasn’t even a year old definitely couldn’t. Thoughts engulfed her as she walked down the street, only to see an old man collapse to the ground in front of her eyes.<br/><br/>She wanted to look away, but couldn’t so in good conscience. She tried to walk past by the man but heard the man trying to say something. She barely heard the word Ashara, which was a feminine name. She was no medical expert but clearly the man was having a heart attack so she looked around for help, only to see no one was around them. She desperately tried for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which wasn’t necessarily effective because she couldn’t put enough pressure with her right hand. Just when she was about to give up, she heard the noise of a car stopping by and immediately ran towards the sound to find out that it was a cab, dropping a passenger. The driver was fat and balding, not to mention he wore a bronze jacket, which looked really weird. She tried to explain the situation with the man and thinking that it was Ned Stark; the driver said that he would help. He immediately started the car, they put Ned at the back seat and were on their way to the hospital. The last thing she remembered in that blur was the announcement the driver made.<br/><br/>“<em>This is Yohn Royce. I’m heading towards Cerywn Central. I found Ned Stark on the street with the help of a young lady. Call Tormund from The Moat and have him meet me at the hospital. THIS IS URGENT!”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/><em>(10 Days Later)<br/><br/></em>It was the tenth day after the incident and his first week back at the mansion. He did nothing but rest, the servants would come and go, the doctors would come and go, Lyanna wouldn’t leave her side; Edmure and Jorah would take turns staying with him while Tormund ran the affairs at the restaurant. Davos would drop by daily and all Ned wanted was to get rid of this breath support thing and find the woman who had helped him. He had sent his people out like chasing dogs to no avail and Davos was doing his best to help him as well. He would fall asleep, wake up to Lyanna looking at him and then huff, mutter curses and fall back to sleep.<br/><br/>It was the hour when Davos would visit him and this time he was up and waiting for him. The family lawyer was a calm and preserved man, very often the voice of reason for him and his family. Ned signaled him to come near the bed and moved himself to a sitting position. He cursed inwardly at the support tube and tried to remove it but after protests from Davos and Lyanna he had to stop. He coughed his lungs out at the attempt and then after gathering himself, started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>It’s been ten days. You haven’t been able to find that girl yet. I want her found and brought to me.”<br/><br/>“How do you expect me to find a girl in this goddamn populated area Ned? Be sensible, we may never be able to find her.”<br/><br/>“I want her found, period. You have what, thirty nephews? Well, now all of them have a job. Send all of them out to the city and find me the damn girl.”<br/><br/></em>At that point Tormund entered and just silently waved at Ned. His sous-chef looked like he was about to say something but was waiting for Davos and Ned to be done. Growing tired of Davos and his never ending explanation, Ned interrupted him and told Tormund to speak up.<br/><br/>“<em>It was “Bronze” Yohn Royce who drove you to the hospital. He had called for me from the radio to meet him at the hospital. We could go to him and ask; after all we know he works for Runestone Taxi Company.”<br/><br/></em>Ned silently nodded in approval and they wasted no time in leaving. That girl had to be found, no matter what.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>This was the most tiring ten days Davos ever had in his life.<br/><br/>He hadn’t been physically and emotionally this worn out since the time he had tried to seduce Marya and convince her to marry him. Then again here was Ned Stark, putting him to work day and night and he was out there like a dog chasing cars. Luckily this time he had Tormund accompanying him, as he found the big man’s company more desirable to many others. Tormund didn’t talk much but when he talked, he was fun. Still, he had grunted throughout their journey to Runestone Company and Davos kind of knew why. Tormund clearly wanted no part of this search but once he had opened his mouth about it, there was no escaping it.<br/><br/>“<em>You know that you wouldn’t have had to accompany me if you had shut up.”<br/><br/>“Dunno. Wasn’t it your job to talk him out of stupid fucking ideas like this?”<br/><br/>“Usually it is, though not when the stupid fucking idea comes from you. You know he listens to you and keeps your council.”<br/><br/>“That’s true. Well I hope we find Royce quickly and get on with this. I’d be much more comfortable if I went back to the restaurant.”<br/><br/>“This won’t cause you to go to prison for him again. Not unless you physically assault someone.”<br/><br/>“Will I need to?”<br/><br/>“Näh, I don’t think you will.”<br/><br/></em>Luck was on their side, as they reached Runestone to find Yohn Royce taking a nap on the bench, right next to his vehicle. When they called out to him, it took a while for the old man to gather himself and to figure out where he was and who had called out to him. Davos greeted him warmly, while Tormund chose not to speak at that moment. Royce was a loud man in general, but looked unusually quiet and almost afraid. Davos knew that it was going to be up to him to initiate the conversation so he dove straight in.<br/><br/>“<em>I heard that it was you who drove Ned to the hospital. You have his thanks for that and not just his. The family is grateful to and to be honest, so am I.”<br/><br/>“Thanks but anyone would have done the same. I just did my duty after all.”<br/><br/>“Well, that’s some unusual modesty coming from you. Still, Ned remembers that a woman helped him to your car and we saw from the hospital cameras that she rode with you to the hospital. Any clue on who she is? Ned wants her found.”<br/><br/>“I don’t know Davos. Look, she looked really weird to be honest. Clearly wasn’t Westerosi, that much I can say. She spoke the common tongue with a different accent. I mean I don’t have the ear for accents but wouldn’t surprise me if she was from Lys or Myr.”<br/><br/>“Alright, this should help a little at least. Is there anything else in particular that you noticed?”<br/><br/>“I mean she was really beautiful but definitely was young enough to be my daughter, so don’t get me wrong. Uhm and there was something weird with her right hand. When we first tried lifting Ned to the backseat, she had difficulties with using her right arm but that’s it. Other than that, no clues I’m afraid.”<br/><br/>“Well, these are good lead points but nothing that special. You’re gonna have to come with us during this search.”<br/><br/>“What? I cannot come with you, I have work and I’m waiting for my turn to come so I can pick up customers.”<br/><br/></em>At that point, Tormund took a big pile of cash from his pocket and slammed it onto the old man’s lap.<br/><br/>“<em>Well, here’s your week’s worth of cash. Now come with us.”<br/><br/></em>After tireless hours of driving, wondering around, going in and out of streets on foot, having several conversations with Ned and his nephews, he felt on the verge of defeat. He clearly didn’t want to end this empty handed, but then again what he had told Ned was actually right. They very well couldn’t be able to find this woman in this huge city and couldn’t be blamed for it. Still, Ned Stark never took for an answer and Davos was sure that he would rip all the equipment off of himself and search for the woman on his own, if it came to that.<br/><br/>His partners on the mission looked very much worn out themselves. Royce looked like he could fall asleep any time, while Tormund was clearly very much disorientated and tired. It was Tormund’s turn to drive and Davos was hoping that he could take a short nap before they finally ended their search, at least for the day. Instead, Tormund pulled right in front of a local diner, where they served hot meals only. He clearly wanted to eat and judging by the growling sound coming from his stomach, old Yohn Royce wasn’t that far behind. Thinking that eating would help them gather themselves, he approved the idea by nodding and stepped out of the car.<br/><br/>The local diner however, looked like shit. This was one of the places that he despised with all his heart and would never eat at places like this, unless he was forced to. This however, was an emergency situation so he had to comply. Tormund was no stranger to places like these, especially having grown up in places like these, he knew his way around places like that. Maybe he was also here for the information but Davos couldn’t never really understand the big man’s motives so chose to stay silent. The waiter came to take their orders as everyone just wanted something warm on this cold winter day. They all went with a variety of soups and started waiting for their order. Just when he was about to open his mouth and ask Tormund whether they would give up the search after eating, this time a waitress came to their table to bring lemon, vinegar, melted butter, spiced oil and warm toasted bread to accompany the soup. His words choked in his mouth as he felt Royce pinching him while pointing at the waitress, while Tormund was frozen and was staring at the young woman standing next to their table.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It was a regular shitty day.<br/><br/>She had to go to work but had to wait for her neighbor to show up first so that she would be sure her little baby would be taken care of. Luckily she always showed up on time so that being late to work wouldn’t be an issue. Just when she was ready for work, there was a knock on the door. With a small smile on her face she opened the door and let her neighbor in. After giving a quick kiss to her baby, she left for work.<br/><br/>Work was all the same. She would be verbally abused, harassed, groped every now and then. She hated every part of it but had to make money. She was working on a verbal agreement, there was no contract so she knew that she was making less than she was supposed to but it was the only way to survive. After working even shittier jobs, she had settled at this diner and it at least paid more. When she arrived at work, her boss immediately told her to get started with cleaning the bathroom. She cursed inwardly, put her work clothes on and got to work.<br/><br/>The bathroom was in such a terrible state that it disgusted her. She had to go through the damn thing thrice, trying to prevent herself from puking in the process. More than once she had muttered that these people were uncivilized assholes for leaving the bathroom at that state, only to be questioned by her boss about what she was saying. She knew she needed to keep her thoughts to herself, but her situation was so fucked up that sometimes she felt the need to burst.<br/><br/>Once the job was done and the customers were coming in, the real horror began. Again some stupid arrogant assholes had tried grabbing her, not to mention the insults, the continuing verbal assault and harassment, which were only standard in Wintertown. She had seen a couple of nicer places but knew that she didn’t stand a chance, because they would require papers and everything, while she was just an illegal immigrant on Westerosi soil. While she was on a cigarette break, all these thoughts occupied her mind, only to be woken up by the voice of her boss. A new table had arrived and asked for soup so some of the garnish was to be taken to the table immediately.<br/><br/>She picked her stuff and headed to the table. It was a table of three, with people clearly more civilized and better dressed than the regular customers which would drop by. At that point, customers of the other table left, which made them the sole table at the diner. The giant redhead man was staring at her intently, while the man in a suit was trying to mind his own business, while the other old man in a bronze jacket was pinching him and pointing at her. The man in the suit also raised his head and started staring at her intently. This was probably the tipping point because at that point she didn’t care one bit and whatever was going to happen, was going to happen.<br/><br/>“<em>What are you staring at? Are you louts?”<br/><br/>“No ma’am, I’m a lawyer actually.”<br/><br/></em>Then the man in the bronze jacket pointed at her and told this lawyer that she was the girl and that was it. She slammed the plates to the table and was getting ready to rough these people if necessary, only for her boss to come and serve the soup while staring at her. Little did she know, when the lawyer spoke, her life was going to change forever.<br/><br/>“<em>No my dear, look, we were looking for you. Let us explain.”<br/><br/></em>Then the bronze jacket guy said the first thing that made sense.<br/><br/>“<em>You surely remember me, right? We took Ned Stark to the hospital together. About ten days ago.”<br/><br/></em>To that, she sincerely smiled. She had helped an old man but hadn’t waited for anything else and with the fear of being discovered, she had quickly disappeared from the scene.<br/><br/>“<em>Oh, his name was Ned, right? How is he? I hope he’s alright.”<br/><br/></em>Then the lawyer took over once again.<br/><br/>“<em>He is, thanks to you. Look, this might sound nuts but I’ll be as clear as possible. The whole Winterfell is looking for you now. You saved Ned Stark’s life and he’d like to show his gratitude.”<br/><br/>“No it’s alright, I have to work anyway.”<br/><br/>“Look my dear, listen to me. You don’t say no to Ned Stark and we can’t return to him empty-handed. It’s just his gratitude, nothing more.”<br/><br/>“I did what everyone would; it wasn’t anything that big, please. I’ll need to get to work now.”<br/><br/></em>At that point the giant redhead stood up from the table and went to the counter to talk with her boss. She saw a huge pile of money being given to her boss and knew that she was going to need to leave with these people, one way or the other. After a few more words, she reluctantly agreed to go, without making much of a scene. She didn’t know that she would never go back to that shithole of a diner but it was okay anyway.<br/><br/>On their way, the lawyer called this Ned Stark to tell him that they were on their way. She barely remembered this Ned Stark and his face but now this was her chance to take a clear look at him. Apparently he was a man with money, power and influence and rich people’s gratitude was very often cash. Dany knew that she could use any extra cash but she didn’t know what was going to happen at the same time. Then the biggest mansion she had ever seen appeared in front of her eyes and she gasped in surprise. The car went through the main gate and was parked. She waited for the others to exit the car first and then exited herself. A woman with small build rushed towards her and engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug and continuously thanked her for what she had done. She didn’t know what to say, how to respond at all and all she could do was to hug back the woman. When she raised her head, she saw the great Ned Stark, warmly staring at her.<br/><br/>She walked towards the big man like a woman possessed, gravitating towards him without her own will. There was a fatherly warmth about this man, who was looking at her like she was the only thing left on the face of this earth. She was scared, scared about everything in this world and for the first time in many years, she felt the sense of security surrounding her, in this warm, safe place.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>“<em>I’m sorry Aunt Lyanna, I’ll need to take this.”<br/><br/></em>It was his boss and she knew it. Still, he wanted to be done with this quick so he didn’t get up from his seat, not letting the little girl go at the same time. Again Oberyn had addressed him as son, which was audible from the speaker of the phone, which was met with a look of disapproval by Lyanna. He quickly briefed his boss about the deal, told him that Ari was supposed to send the mail and they would need to take care of the paperwork as fast as possible. Promising that they would meet at the office tomorrow, he ended the conversation and turned to his aunt once again.<br/><br/>“<em>So who is Dany?”<br/><br/></em>Lyanna looked at the little girl for a brief moment and told her to go play with Beth at the gardens, to which she obliged and left immediately. After an uncomfortable silence which dragged too long for Jon’s liking, his aunt started explaining.<br/><br/><em>“Dany is the woman who filled the void in Ned’s heart after your departure. He replaced you with her. She is now the most important thing in his life. Not me, not you, not the restaurant, but her.”<br/><br/>“The woman today at the restaurant…”<br/><br/>“Were you at the restaurant today?”<br/><br/>“Inadvertently yes, I mean I wasn’t planning to go but in the heat of an argument I happened to end up there and then Tormund saw me and so on.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>In any case, that’s who Dany is. It’s like she’s his daughter now.”<br/><br/>“You don’t seem to be troubled by this?”<br/><br/>“Not really, after all she’s always here, always good towards all of us.”<br/><br/>“I see. Well, the time for the flight is nearing and I should get going. We will be in touch more often, I promise.”<br/><br/>“I hope you keep your word.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I will. Come, I want to introduce you to my colleagues.”<br/><br/></em>He introduced his aunt to his colleagues and silently watched their reactions. Both Ari and Gendry were taken by surprise; especially Ari couldn’t stop praising the land, the gardens and everything, saying to his aunt that she could live here forever. Jon knew that this was bullshit, because he knew Ari too well to know that she was trying to get in his aunt’s good graces. Luckily he wasn’t in need of paying this any mind, because his aunt could smell the bullshit from a mile away anyway. After pleasantries were exchanged, Gendry reminded them that time was closing in on their flight so they had to go. Jon dearly hugged his aunt, promised that he would call and they would see more often. After getting into the car, he watched from the rear mirror as first his aunt, then the mansion disappear, once again.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Crisis was averted and she was finally able to catch a breather back in the manager’s office.<br/><br/>The last thing Dany wanted was another confrontation between Ned and Jon, for one it was going to be terrible PR for them and not to mention that it could have had disastrous effects on both Ned and Lyanna. On the other hand she didn’t know what to think about this Jon. When he had confronted her, he wasn’t abusive, or pressing, in fact his tone was rather playful. It almost had sounded like in a sarcastic way; he was trying to make amends. Then again Dany only knew what she was told about the guy, therefore couldn’t jump to conclusions by any means.<br/><br/>Still, her curiosity got the better of her and she fired up the laptop. Nobody would try and barge into the manager’s office at that time of the day anyway, so she decided to search for this Jon Stark, but nothing came up. It was like he hadn’t existed ever. The whole thing puzzled her quite a lot, but then it came to her. When Ned was shouting at Lyanna during that temper-tantrum he had uttered something which she hadn’t paid that much attention to. Then again, an eidetic memory really helped in these situations.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m glad he doesn’t carry the Stark name anymore. Snow, like the bastards of the old, really suits him.”<br/><br/></em>This time she went with Jon Snow and gods, there were more results than she thought. He was described as a SVP of Finance at Martell Investment for the first and the rest followed. There were published articles about him on finance magazines, not to mention the detail of him being Valedictorian at KLU-Finance. So he was a successful businessman for sure, but that wasn’t what interested her. She found the curiosity in her growing at a rapid speed and tried searching for his social media accounts. His instagram was private, he wasn’t on facebook and even if he had a twitter, his username was different. She didn’t notice time had passed and she was lost in the search, not until she heard Ned’s voice from outside the door. She quickly closed the browser and tried to act natural as he came into the office.<br/><br/>“<em>I have business elsewhere so I’ll be gone for a few hours. Do you need anything?”<br/><br/>“Uhm, no thanks, I’ll handle things while you’re away.”<br/><br/>“I’m counting on it girl. I’ll see you later.”<br/><br/></em>With that he had left and she really felt like she had just dodged a big bullet. It wasn’t like Ned would come and check the screen to find her searching about his son, but the thought and the feeling made her feel a little guilty. After all, it was Ned Stark who had given her everything, just after she thought she had lost it all. Well not everything, because there was still one very important thing missing from her life but, she knew that she couldn’t lose hope about that. Putting the computer to sleep, she checked herself at the mirror and looking satisfied, she left the office to continue to the kitchen, where she was welcomed by a grinning Tormund.<br/><br/>“<em>He almost caught us. Thanks for the heads up.”<br/><br/>“No problem. We didn’t need to have a scene here with all the tables full.”<br/><br/>“That we didn’t. Then again that kind of scene is something none of us want, even when nobody is around.”<br/><br/>“So you’re not hundred percent on Ned’s side either. I’m trying to understand the situation here but it’s really difficult to figure out.”<br/><br/>“No, nobody is on hundred percent on Ned’s side on the matter. It’s true; Jon was disrespectful towards him several times. He crossed his father more than once, never listened to him about the future and so on. Then again Ned either didn’t know how to approach him or didn’t approach him at all and that’s where it all went wrong.”<br/><br/>“I get it. Sometimes it’s difficult to be a parent but after all, they are your flesh and blood. I cannot accept treating a son or a daughter like shit.”<br/><br/>“You don’t get the half of it to be honest. You’ll only be able to grasp the situation, if Jon walks you through it. Ned’s side, you already know though and that’s never gonna change. It’s difficult to believe that Ned is the father and Jon is the son on this matter. If their roles were reversed, things would have made more sense.”<br/><br/>“Name me one act that is disrespectful; apart from you know moving to King’s Landing to try walking your on path.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Well you could talk about lots of issues between them but I’ll tell you the latest. Not sure if you know the place Snow’s End. The land was contested by so many people around the north, some bidders were even Skagosi or from beyond the wall. Right before the exam incident, Jon took his father’s money without asking, doubled it by trading on the stock market and then bought the land for his own. Ned always had his sights on the land but now it’s Jon’s and it was bought with Ned’s money. I think Jon was just trying to show his father that he could control the money and make him even richer but you know Ned, for him tradition is above money.”<br/><br/>“So the disrespect is that he took his father’s money without asking, right?”<br/><br/>“That’s correct. I don’t find it faulty, but here in the north, they have these stupid traditions that make no sense to me.”<br/><br/>“I thought you were from the REAL north though?”<br/><br/>“That’s right. This place that they call the north smells like pig shit. I can’t even fathom how bad it must be in the southern lands.”<br/><br/>“Heh, almost no Westerosi custom makes sense to me but, I guess I get it somehow. Anyway, we should get back to work, enough with the chit-chat. Make sure all the tables are in order and no customer tries to make a scene here.”<br/><br/></em>With that, Tormund was back at work, while Dany went back to the office for a short while. Her eyes got locked on the laptop for a short while, but then she decided against it. She somehow felt that she was going to meet this Jon more in the near future, though she didn’t know why or how. She chose mystery over history and got back to work.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/><em>(5 Days Ago)<br/><br/></em>The big hole in the ground, which was meant to be a mass-grave was dug.<br/><br/>Beric checked the depth of the grave first but wasn’t satisfied. He went back to the excavator and made sure to dig a little deeper. Once the other workers signaled that it should do, the container was lowered to the grave slowly. The rope gave way midway and crashed to the grave to his horror but he tried to keep his composure. The whole thing made him sick to his stomach. The scene wasn’t for the fainted heart and he always took pride in being a resourceful man. Still the whole thing horrified him and made him want to cry. Thoros came and patted on his shoulder and that helped him regain himself. They prayed in silence as workers threw sand and soil on top of the container, until it was completely lost to the eye.<br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>Tycho Nestoris was at the harbor.<br/><br/>Election time was nearing and the bastard’s appearance at the harbor didn’t surprise Beric one bit. He would suck up to everyone for votes, but Beric was sure that Nestoris wouldn’t be able to see the next term. He had rebuffed the strike ideas and instead insisted on negotiating with the big bosses. Beric despised the fucker for his ways of life, as he was just another kiss-ass, who only thought about himself. Seeing him, Nestoris quickly approached and told him that he wanted a word in private. They slowly walked to the café for a cup of coffee on that cold rainy day. Not uttering a single word until the coffee was served; Nestoris then cleared his throat and initiated the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>I’ll be short and brief. Martell is bickering at my head about the container. If it were only him, I could have dealt with this but his mad dog Ramsay is calling me every day as well. We need to find the container and we need to do it now.”<br/><br/>“That is beyond my pay grade. Besides you know the drill. I do the lowering, it’s pulled to the same spot and that is that. I don’t interfere with anything afterwards. I’m assuming it contains something important if Martell is above your head all the time.”<br/><br/>“Well what can it be anyway? The usual, Yi-Tish toys for the black market and maybe a few game consoles but that’s it. That’s how it always is.”<br/><br/>“Then they can go fuck themselves. I’m not paying any mind to some lost toys and game consoles.”<br/><br/></em>Avoiding further conversation, Beric stood up and left without a word. He didn’t have the time to listen to Nestoris butter him up for votes. He already had enough on his plate.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>The flight wasn’t necessarily the longest, but it always wore Jon out like nothing else.<br/><em><br/></em>Winterfell had been more than tiring this time. All that Mance Rayder crap, the encounter with his father, then the whole thing with this Dany and her little daughter. That kid was five or six years old at most, while this Dany woman was at most around his age. He huffed to himself in distress and deciding to take his mind off things, checked his fridge, only to find that there was nothing worth of even snacking. After thinking about ordering something home and deciding against it, he took his jacket and left to the nearest market square.<br/><br/>First thing was the meat and he knew the best butcher for that. He couldn’t find the cut he was looking for but ordered it cut fresh from the dry aged fridge. He asked the butcher if he could do the slicing to the butcher’s horror at first. Promising to buy the whole piece, he convinced the butcher to do his bidding and went behind the counter. To impressive remarks from the butcher, he completed the slices to his taste, while joking around with the customers going in and out. He paid for the full cut to a healthy discount and kept on shopping for fresh vegetables for the garnish. Next up was the special cooking tray that he needed. After searching for a while and not being able to find what he was looking for, he asked for help. Luckily enough, the special design trays were present at the shop and they were quick enough to bring it to him.<br/><br/>Walking back home, he turned on the oven and put his griddle pan to heat up while seasoning the meat. He picked the thickest cut, oiled the griddle and started searing while preparing the garnish. After the searing was done, everything was put into the special tray and pushed into the oven. Within minutes the meal was done and he left the meat to rest and poured himself a glass of Dornish red, which had been staying in the kitchen since the last time he had cooked. After the resting was done, he plated the meat, took it to the kitchen island and sliced. The first bite he took gave him the chills and to go with it, he sipped his wine. Satisfied with the result, he devoured the meal in no time and lit a cigarette afterwards. He couldn’t help but to say it out loud when he was done.<br/><br/>“<em>There is not a single soul on this planet who can cook this meal better than I do. Not even Ned fucking Stark.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>The time had come.<br/><br/>He read through the will once, then once more. He had to think this very carefully and handle every detail in the most delicate manner. Ned Stark wasn’t a delicate man; actually he had never been one. All he had been all his life was put into that restaurant and the riches that had come with it. He had lived the life in the only way he knew, like his father before him and his father before his. He showed no weakness, very little emotion, very often acted before he thought but somehow always got away with it. This however, needed precise thinking and decision making. He took one more look at the paper and then turned to Davos.<br/><br/>“<em>Okay, add college money for Alys. If that asshole Harrion somehow manages to re-enter their lives, that money is to be taken away. He won’t get to spend a penny of that. Next are the apartments for Tormund, Jorah and Edmure. The condo will go to Tormund, as will the ground floor. He can put his sick mom there while he can live upstairs. Give the bigger apartment to Jorah, since Lynesse is expecting. The restaurant as we spoke before, fifty percent to Dany, the rest of the fifty to be divided between Tormund, Jorah and Edmure. The rest of it is all Lyanna’s. She can then leave those to little Ashara.”<br/><br/>“You have no say in that Ned. I cannot formally put that into this, but then again you can talk to Lyanna in person and recommend that. Still, there is one more thing though.”<br/><br/>“What is it?”<br/><br/>“There is nothing about Jon. You could maybe leave him something concerning the restaurant? I mean we all love Dany and yes she’s like a daughter to you, but your flesh and blood is still alive and breathing.”<br/><br/></em>Ned just stared at Davos. He wasn’t going to get upset or angry over that statement this time. All the anger he had for the boy had vanished after their last confrontation. He didn’t even want to bother himself with the thought anymore. It was decided and he was at peace with his decision.<br/><br/>“<em>Just prepare everything as I told you and bring it to the mansion first thing tomorrow morning.”<br/><br/></em>With that, he left for home.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>The effect of the trip on her was devastating.<br/><br/>Ari loved travelling, especially when the trip was for pleasure. If it were up to her, she would’ve never left the office for business. She wanted minimum human contact when it came to business and being on the field had terrified her. Especially in the cold, wasteland of that field, facing a brute like Mance Rayder had inflicted fear on every fiber of her being. Still, the deal was going to go through and she was now going to be able to take a breather from all that business and stay home.<br/><br/>When she had arrived back at the mansion, her father wasn’t home. Knowing that her presence wouldn’t be required for the rest of the evening, she had the attendants order her a burger and retired to her quarters. Once the burger had arrived, she quickly devoured the food and lay down on her bed. Checking her instagram to find out that she had dozens of follower requests, only to find out there wasn’t a single notification from whom she wanted to have one.  She went through the selfies they had taken together, only to find out that Jon was either sulking or not paying attention to anything in those photos. Still, she cherished the moments she had with him and didn’t dwell on it too much, because she didn’t want to drown herself under those feelings about her only weakness.<br/><br/>Come next morning, she was hoping to avoid a confrontation with her father so she quietly tried to sneak away to no avail. Oberyn was up and already having his coffee in the garden and he had positioned himself in such a manner that he would be able to see everyone coming in and going out. Figuring out that she was set up and she had no choice, she at least went to say that she was being late and get away as quickly as possible.<br/><br/>“<em>Morning dad, I’m going to be late though, I should rush.”<br/><br/>“Morning! Don’t bother; we’ll go together once I’m finished with the coffee. So how was Winterfell, tell me a little about it. I haven’t been there in about ten years easily.”</em><br/><br/>“<em>It was cold, looked very uncivilized compared to here but then again it had a homey feeling about it. White Harbor looked more like a city but then again we were mostly in the rural there. I saw the area that we will build the facility at and that looked promising.”<br/><br/>“Good, I count on your understanding of land and aesthetics and we don’t want to do something to disturb the landscape of the great North after all. That is were we and the Lannisters differ. So tell me, did Jon meet his nutjob of a father Ned Stark?”<br/><br/>“You know his father?”</em><br/><br/><em>“Of course I know his father. Do you think I wouldn’t know about the background of the man who runs my money?”<br/><br/></em>There was an awkward, uncomfortable silence after that. Ari had found the comment disturbing, clearly Jon had confided in her father, way more than he had ever shared with her. She wanted to get back to her father, wanted him to hurt, just like she did.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m meeting mom today.”<br/><br/></em>There. There it was. The great Oberyn Martell was baited out of his comfort zone. Some sick part of Ari enjoyed this way more than she should have but then again, she couldn’t stop the feeling.  Her father put the coffee down, took a good look at her and picked his words carefully.<br/><br/>“<em>Where did that come from?”<br/><br/>“She apparently missed me. We’re gonna go shopping and then will have lunch later.”<br/><br/>“Very well, as long as that happens out of my sight, I’m okay with it.”<br/><br/></em>The ride to the office was uneventful after that conversation and her father had finally stopped bothering her. Meeting her mother wasn’t necessarily the warmest of feelings but every now and then she both wanted to and needed to do that. She busied herself with her workload for an hour and then left the office to meet up with her mom at their favorite place.<br/><br/>After a quick shopping spree and spending more than necessary, they decided to take a coffee break and keep on shopping. Ellaria Sand was a self-made woman, especially after her divorce with Oberyn Martell. Ari knew that her mother had tried real hard to keep her relationship with her father together for a long, long time, despite Oberyn not giving two shits about public image. A series of disastrous events had pulled the two apart and now they despised each other. Naturally nobody would win a custody battle with Oberyn Martell and Ari had ended up with her father as his only heir.<br/><br/>Ellaria on the other hand, was left with not all that much. Sure she could have lived out her days comfortably if she had chosen to stay silent and stay married but she had never been like that. During the divorce settlement, almost everything was taken from her. She had lost her marriage, she had lost her position in Martell Investment, she had lost her daughter and was left with nothing but a shitty apartment and a shitty car. Doing the unthinkable then she had turned to Tywin Lannister and offered him her services at his firm. Starting from the bottom and quickly making her way up the ranks, she had finally found her way to his bed even. Ari didn’t know what to think of her mother’s relationship with the cold old man, but was never critical of it.<br/><br/>During their lunch, Ari listened to Ellaria blab about many things and paid them maybe half the mind she had. She knew her mother way too well to figure out that none of these mattered and this was just foreplay for something really crucial. Deciding that she had enough of this jibber-jabber, she interrupted her mother and cut right to the chase.<br/><br/>“<em>Okay mom seriously, what is it that you want to talk about? Can we please get to it?”<br/><br/>“Well okay, if you insist… I heard your father merged with Lannister Corporation. How are things back at the firm?”<br/><br/>“Are you asking me as my mother or Tywin Lannister’s bed-fellow?”<br/><br/>“Do you think I would need to ask you about things if I were informed by Tywin?”<br/><br/>“Cannot say mom, you can be easily spying on dad. I made a promise all those years ago that I never ever intend to get between you two for anything and I intend to keep that promise today.”<br/><br/>“Well, in that case I’m asking as your mother. Are things working out so far?”<br/><br/>“Let’s say barely.”<br/><br/>“I can understand that. If there’s one thing I haven’t been able to understand, how Tywin was convinced that he could merge with Oberyn.”<br/><br/>“It’s practically because of Jon.”<br/><br/>“Jon? Don’t make me laugh Ari. You know that I’ve worked under and with Tywin and he eats boys like Jon for breakfast. Plus he hates your father and would never go into business with someone, unless he could profit from it. I think we’ll see the outcome soon enough but enough about this work thing. How are you holding up?”<br/><br/>“It’s been a mess. All that merger business, then the trip to the North, then back and again at all that paperwork and so on, I really hate this to be honest. The only good thing that came out of this is that it all keeps me busy and I barely have the time to think.”<br/><br/>“Mm, I guess it’s good for someone like you, after all your condition is delicate and you shouldn’t be under too much stress.”<br/><br/>“We both know that work stress or anything related to work doesn’t trigger my condition.”<br/><br/>“That we do, then again I wonder how are you coping with it, because you practically see him every day, right?”<br/><br/>“Yes mom, but I think I got used to it and it’s been easier.”<br/><br/></em>There was a comfortable silence at that point and Ari felt relieved. Unlucky for her, that was short lived and her phone started ringing. To her surprise, it was Jon calling and she panicked immediately. She didn’t know what to do and as if it would help, she looked around to figure out if there was any help for her from the outside. Her mother, aware of the situation, just sincerely smiled at her at that point.<br/><br/>“<em>Well, isn’t it your prince charming? You better answer it, but keep it cool.”<br/><br/></em>Although she knew that what her mother said was meant to be supportive, Ari hated her mom with everything she had at that very moment.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Ari wasn’t at the office and that meant probably nobody would bother him at his office today.<br/><br/>He sent the info texts to Sam, Marge and Lyanna to meet him at the roof. Jon liked the idea of meeting at the roof because for one nobody would interrupt them for sure and they could speak freely. Second of all, this still needed to stay away from all the eyes and finally, he did like the idea of doing something secret. It made him feel like he was stealing away something from his father or actually was touching something that he wasn’t supposed to touch. All these thoughts brought back this Dany woman to his mind, to which he chuckled inwardly. Something weird was going on with that woman and a part of him wanted to find out what was that. Still, that had to take the back seat, as it was now time for business.<br/><br/>When he arrived at the roof, his team was already there. Marge was complaining to Sam about how cold it was and was questioning why they had to meet there. Sam had a look of worry in his eyes and Lyanna was all the same. Numb, showing no emotion on her face and just waiting for everything to take place so she could be on her own. Jon took one more good look at his team and cleared his throat. When they turned to him he smiled and immediately got to business.<br/><br/>“<em>Firstly Marge I’m sorry for yesterday, I really was in a bad place and shouldn’t have lashed out at you.”<br/><br/>“That’s okay boss, just please don’t do it again. You really were scary.”<br/><br/>“I figured that and I’ll try to be more careful. Now Sam, what can you tell me about the data?”<br/><br/>“It’s fucked up, that much I can tell you. All the data contains the ships, marked containers and the numbers, practically about which ship is coming from where and the sum of amount is. Nothing else is speficied though and it freaks me out. I cannot put a finger on what are those sums.”<br/><br/></em></p>
<p>At that point Marge interfered.<br/><br/>“<em>Could it be money after all?”<br/><br/>“No fucking way. The sums are huge and even if it is money, there is no way to hide or launder that.”<br/><br/></em>Then Jon heard Lyanna speak for the first time in public, since he had hired her.<br/><br/>“<em>It is money.”<br/><br/></em>The silence was deadly. Jon knew in his heart that he had been the one laundering the money but now he had proof of it too. It made him sick to his stomach. Still he had to keep his composure around his team, not to mention that he needed to shield them away form all the shitstorm that was about to come. While they were mumbling in between themselves and he was thinking of what to say next, his phone started ringing. It was Ramsay calling and he was going to need to take it. He shushed his team and answered the phone.<br/><br/>“<em>How can I help you Bolton?”<br/><br/>“Nobody was at the office. Are you people even in the building?”<br/><br/>“Yeah, we had some stuff to deal with the HR actually.”<br/><br/>“Oh good, I can meet you there.”<br/><br/>“Don’t bother; I’m on my way to my office actually. Meet me in ten and be on time. I have lots on my plate today.”<br/><br/></em>He ended the call as quickly as possible and turned back to his team.<br/><br/>“<em>So can we access the official records of all these, without using my or your usernames and passwords?”<br/><br/></em>It was again Mormont who spoke.<br/><br/>“<em>We can.”<br/><br/></em>Marge and Sam were looking at him with puzzled eyes, while Mormont had little to no expression on her face. Sam was clearly building courage to speak up so Jon decided to encourage him.<br/><br/>“<em>What is it Sam? Speak your mind.”<br/><br/>“This whole thing looks and feels just wrong Jon. I fear whether we’ll get into trouble because of this.”<br/><br/>“No, none of you will get into trouble because of this. I don’t want any of you dealing with these folders and files anymore. Now let’s get back to the office and play it cool so that Ramsay doesn’t bother any of us.”<br/><br/></em>With that, they started making their way towards the office. Just when Jon was about to leave the roof himself, he felt a hand on his wrist. This was again the first time Mormont was making physical contact with him.<br/><br/><em>(3 months ago)</em><br/><br/><em>“Nice of you to come by Jon. It’s been a long time since I haven’t seen you in KLU borders. What can I do for you?”<br/><br/>“Always a pleasure Professor Velaryon, I came to ask for a little favor. I’m looking for a student who specializes in coding. Do you by any chance know someone that can be of help? I’m planning to hire an intern, with a lucrative signing bonus of course.”<br/><br/>“Well, you know that my expertise isn’t in that field but we can always check with Professor Stokeworth. Let me give her a call.”<br/><br/></em>That phone call was short and brief. Afterwards Velaryon signaled to him that they had someone for him. He then followed Velaryon to the faculty to meet his possible new employee but instead, he was welcomed by Stokeworth. After taking care of the necessary introductions, Velaryon excused himself, telling them that he had a class to teach. Stokeworth lead him through the buildings to a small park, where a raven haired tiny woman was sitting on a bench.<br/><br/>“<em>Now I have to warn you Mr. Snow, Lyanna is a very different case. She is more than an introvert but I think you could classify her as asocial. Then again she’s extremely gifted at what she does so she’ll get the job done. I think this is your person for the job.”<br/><br/></em>Stokeworth then introduced them very briefly and took a step behind. There was an awkward silence and Jon didn’t know how to deal with this situation. He looked at the tiny woman in front of him, who clearly had no interest in anything at all. Stokeworth then cleared her throat and interfered.<br/><br/>“<em>Lyanna dear, Mr. Snow has a job offer for you. One that you might be interested in pursuing.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>What kind of a job is that?”<br/><br/></em>Jon smiled and extended his hand to the woman half his size, but no handshake was exchanged. He heard Stokeworth huffing to herself and chuckled inwardly. This was going to work.<br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>“<em>When I took the elevator to the office in the morning, this Ramsay guy came in but paid me no mind. I thought you should know.”<br/><br/>“Well, do you want me to hide you from him? It works better for all of us if he’s unaware of you.”<br/><br/>“No, not really, I want him to see me actually.That way it’ll be more fun.”<br/><br/>“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s go then.”<br/><br/></em>Once they settled into the office, his office phone rang immediately. It was like there was a radar, because every time he settled onto his chair, the goddamn phone would start ringing. Seeing that it was Petyr Baelish, he picked it up.<br/><br/>“<em>What can I do for you Baelish?”<br/><br/>“I wasn’t notified of these new contracts concerning White Harbor. What in the hell is going on Snow?”<br/><br/>“Well now you’ve been notified. You fucked up you son of a bitch, THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON.”<br/><br/></em>He only noticed the rise of anger within him, when he had already smashed the phone. Marge was looking at him in shock, Sam was trying to mind his own business but clearly he was rattled. Only Mormont hadn’t paid him any mind and was focused on her business. He then noticed Ramsay Bolton by the door, waiting to be invited into his office. He signaled for him to come in and sit.<br/><br/>“<em>Who in the hell were you shouting at? I haven’t seen you this riled up in years.”<br/><br/>“Petyr fucking Baelish, who else could it be?”<br/><br/>“Ah, that fucking cunt. Tell me about it. I clearly want to bash his smug face into something.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I second that. Do you want something to drink?”<br/><br/>“Not maybe at 10 a.m in the morning. So tell me, why don’t we see as often as we used to?”<br/><br/>“Well you know, the merger, this whole Winterfell-White Harbor thing. Even I don’t get to see myself that often, I can assure you of that.”<br/><br/>“Heh, that much I figured. So, you have a new addition to your team?”<br/><br/>“Aye, hired an intern as an analyst. So far so good, maybe I hire her full time later on.”<br/><br/>“Good for you to expand your team Snow. You can’t be like a mad dog chasing cars. That’s my job.”<br/><br/></em>With that, he abruptly left his office. Jon then followed him until the outer door as a courtesy. He couldn’t help but notice Ramsay checking out Lyanna, who was definitely coding at full speed. A cloud of doubts immediately sank down on his mind and he wondered, whether he had been able to play it as cool as possible with this nutjob. While he was walking back to his office, he noticed Mormont was following him in. Once he settled himself, he gave her a questioning look.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m heading home.”<br/><br/>“You’re going to deal with it from home? I think it’s better that way. Leave now and do it quietly.”<br/><br/>“Sure.”<br/><br/></em>Taking care of the rest of the business for the morning, he went to the cafeteria for lunch. Jon didn’t like to eat that crappy food one bit, but then again it was important for him to show his face around, especially now that he was in cahoots with Baelish and Ramsay was breathing down his neck. A crowded place was the safest at the time, plus it also helped him maintain his popularity around the other workers. He took his tray, had it filled and then moved to an empty table to sit comfortably enough. While eating, he had some chit chat with people from the other departments about the stock market, only to notice that Oberyn Martell had entered the cafeteria himself. Most of the workers had started mumbling, while Oberyn was pointing at a few things. He then pointed at the table where Jon was sitting and started making his way towards him.<br/><br/>“<em>Don’t get up, it’s lunch time and I don’t want any formalities. Let’s be casual throughout the break.”<br/><br/>“As you wish. Thinking that I’m not being summoned to the office, this is something more personal?”<br/><br/>“You could say that. So tell me, what was the problem at White Harbor?”<br/><br/>“The problem was Baelish. He apparently butted heads with Mance Rayder, who is a tough old bastard.”<br/><br/>“That little cunt, always fucking up shit that is so important for this firm. Well then, I take it that the problem is solved?”<br/><br/>“Yes and once the contract is signed, we shan’t have any more problems.”<br/><br/>“That’s good. Oh look who it is. Let him approach and don’t say a word.”<br/><br/></em>When Jon raised his head slightly, he noticed Petyr Baelish was taking food. He then quickly made his way towards their table, like he was in a hurry. Oberyn let him approach but just when he was about to sit down, he roared for everyone else to hear.<br/><br/>“<em>WHY WASN’T I INFORMED ABOUT THE SITUATION AT WHITE HARBOR?”<br/><br/>“Sir I meant to, I really did but then I kinda ehm…”<br/><br/>“Get the fuck out of my sight.”<br/><br/></em>Baelish didn’t really need a second warning, as he immediately disappeared. Oberyn looked rather pleased with the whole situation, but then again didn’t look like he was in the best of moods. He complained about Baelish wanting to be the next CEO and how incapable and incompetent he was. The topic of conversation once again was back to the Northern business, as Jon told Oberyn about the final detail:<br/><br/>“<em>He wants us to sponsor for a couple of players for Winterfell Wolves.”<br/><br/>“Why in the world would he want something like that?”<br/><br/>“He’s a big football fan. Plus he’s trying to get the measure of you, to see whether you could be trusted.”<br/><br/>“Well, in that case sponsor him for whatever he wants. Two players, three players I don’t care, see that it’s done.”<br/><br/>“Yes sir.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>It had been a relatively calm day at The Moat.<br/><br/>Dany had taken off early and dined with Lyanna, further discussing the details for the new glass garden designs. The dinner had been productive enough, as Lyanna had asserted the ideas in her head, which Dany fancied quite a lot. What she liked about Lyanna Stark the most was that she was her own woman and was very experienced when it came to running the mansion. Dany had learned from her quite a lot and applied her knowledge to the restaurant, to Ned’s delight. Once Jeyne had cleared the table and brought them coffee, Lyanna reached for the cigarette pack and offered Dany one as well. Making sure that Ashara was occupied with Beth and watching cartoons, she lit one as well. With a sincere smile on her face, Lyanna initiated the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>So Jon came here again today. That made me really happy.”<br/><br/>“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been glowing the whole time. Did you at least get to spend quality time with him?”<br/><br/>“It was brief but productive. He sincerely looked happy to be here.”<br/><br/>“Well, I ran into him at the restaurant too.”<br/><br/>“He kinda mentioned something like that. He didn’t have another run-in with Ned, right?”<br/><br/>“No no, he jumped from the back without him noticing.”<br/><br/></em>They chuckled at that as Lyanna went on about Jon’s generally reckless behavior. Dany kinda knew about this, though she still hadn’t mentioned the whole him almost running over her with his shit toy of a car. She didn’t want to rain on the old woman’s happiness but couldn’t help herself from speaking her mind.<br/><br/>“<em>You know that this isn’t something sustainable right? This has to come to an end.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean?”<br/><br/>“I mean with Ned and Jon. This whole tension, fighting and all needs to stop.”<br/><br/>“Jon would stop it, that I know but you know with Ned. He doesn’t have an ounce of love for the boy.”<br/><br/>“I cannot believe that. Deep down somewhere, there must be love for Jon inside him. I believe that.”<br/><br/>“So you think Ashara’s father has love for her deep down somewhere as well?”<br/><br/></em>Dany froze at that question. For a moment it felt like everything was crashing down on her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think as memories flashed in front of her eyes. The pain returned to her right hand as she tried to squeeze it so it became numb. She did her best to gather herself and was only able to mumble before turning towards the TV room and looking at little Ashara.<br/><br/>“<em>I hope not.”<br/><br/></em>Sleep took her late that night as she wrestled with her feelings, staring at the ceiling quite a lot. She knew that Lyanna didn’t mean to hurt her with what she had said but couldn’t shake the feeling. She also knew that Jon was her sensitive spot, just like Ashara was her own. Maybe it was an eye for an eye and maybe she wasn’t meant to interfere or play peacemaker with this whole Stark family drama. Jon was a mystery to her, she didn’t know whether to be threatened by that man or whether she would try and accept him so that he and Ned could make peace, once and for all.<br/><br/>The next morning, Lyanna was up early again as usual and was sipping her coffee in the quiet. When she noticed Dany walking down the stairs, she immediately rose to her feet and held her hands. The old woman’s look was apologetic and Dany knew that it was useless to resist at that point.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m sorry for yesterday evening.You know that I didn’t mean to…”<br/><br/>“I know and I’m sorry for interfering as well. I just hope that it all works out so that we can continue living in peace.”<br/><br/>“I hope so too.”<br/><br/></em>Then they both heard Ned walking down the stairs and immediately seated themselves. The last thing both of them wanted was Ned sticking his nose into their business and creating more chaos. He on the other hand looked very energetic and happy. His coffee was brought to him immediately as he sat down and took a big sip, clearly enjoying the kick of it. He looked at them both, smiled and went on with what he had in mind.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m heading to Last Hearth today. Want to come with me?”<br/><br/>“You know I can’t, I need to be at the restaurant.”<br/><br/>“Nonsense, Tormund can handle it. Besides I think you’ll like what you see if you come with.”<br/><br/></em>She looked at Lyanna for a brief moment, who was nodding in approval. She knew that she could use a day off after that horrible night so agreed to join. Once the breakfast was served and done, she grabbed her things as Rodrik brought the car to the main gate. The ride itself was to take an hour at most so that wasn’t a problem either. She had been to Last Hearth once, right after settling at the mansion but that was for business only. This seemingly was a pleasure trip so she tried to enjoy the Northern landscape as much as possible. That whole emptiness and quiet gave her peace, as she checked out the signs.When she saw the sign Snow’s End, the thing Tormund told her came to her mind and she immediately turned to Ned, only to find him napping. Knowing that it was a ruse, she chuckled inwardly and kept on watching.<br/><br/>When they reached their destination, Dany figured that they had arrived at a horse farm, right outside of Last Hearth. Jon Umber the owner had welcomed them at the gate, as he and Ned were old friends. After a quick introductory tour around the farm, they were taken to a separate barn, where a beautiful white horse was being kept. She was taken by the beauty of the horse, but was scared about touching it. Horses had always fascinated her and Ned knew it. She then turned to him with a questioning look.<br/><br/>“<em>Yes, it is for you. I wanted you to be able to take time off and come see it every now and then but without you owning it, I knew you couldn’t commit. Go ahead, touch him. Don’t be afraid.”<br/><br/></em>She hesitated but reached at the horse with her hand. The horse sniffed her hand and then extended his snout for her to pat. She brushed her hands over the large snout as peace took over her and washed away all the bad feelings. She lost track of time and was only brought back to the land of the living by Ned’s voice.<br/><br/>“<em>So, what will his name be?”<br/><br/></em>Dany thought for a very brief moment for the answer she already knew.<br/><br/>“<em>Rhaegal.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>There was another attack at the vault and he was so fucking done with this shit.<br/><br/>After running to the IT lab once more and unplugging everything, he was summoned to Oberyn Martell’s office. He was shouting in panic mode, as something was clearly going on with his computer. The first attack was a decoy as this time Oberyn’s personal data was directly targeted. He immediately pulled the plug and when it was turned back on, no data was harmed. He checked with his own data from the cloud and everything seemed to be in place. He knew that he had to assure Oberyn that everything was fine so he made him sit down and started walking him through the steps.<br/><br/>“<em>So you can see that no data has been harmed or corrupted or decrypted. I checked with my own logs and everything is at place.”<br/><br/>“I’m still not convinced Ramsay. Who the fuck is this and who the fuck is this person working for?”<br/><br/>“I wouldn’t say person. This is a job for more than one person. Whoever they are, they are waging war at multiple fronts but I’m on it, don’t worry.”<br/><br/>“Make sure that everything is at place and get out.”<br/><br/>“Sure Mr. Martell. I just need to remind you that you need to keep Jon Snow at finances and finances only. He shouldn’t be allowed to touch anything else. Limit his access if you must, but you know the deal and you know the drill.”<br/><br/>“Sure sure, whatever you say. I’ll announce it at the next board meeting.”<br/><br/></em>With that he left Martell’s office and walked straight into his own. He checked the logs once more to make sure everything was in place. What he didn’t know was that Lyanna Mormont had once again beaten him and was already going through the data she had hacked into. Feeling at unease, he picked up the phone and called HR.<br/><br/>“<em>Get me the file on this new analyst that Jon Snow hired.”</em><br/><br/>***<br/><br/>He was getting ready to pack up and leave as Sam knocked on his door.<br/><br/>Inviting him inside, Jon immediately realized something was wrong so told him to close the door. Sam trembled but obliged and took a seat rather willingly. Jon wanted to be as encouraging as possible but he really didn’t have time for anyone’s shit at that point. Finally Sam gathered his courage and started speaking.<br/><br/>“<em>You know that I applied for a new loan right? Now that me, Gilly and little Sam have settled, I cannot risk being out of a job anytime soon.”<br/><br/>“Nobody’s gonna fire you Sam, where did this come from?”<br/><br/>“From those documents Jon and you know it. I’m scared man. I’m not like you and I have a family that I need to look after.”<br/><br/>“Relax Sam, as I said I want neither you, nor Marge to deal with any further files. You’ll go back to your work and be comfortable with it. I still need you to crunch the numbers when necessary, okay?”<br/><br/></em>With a nod, Sam excused himself and went on with his business. Then his phone rang and Jon knew that he wasn’t going to be able to catch a breather. This time it was Beric Dondarrion who wanted to meet so Jon gave him a location and left the office.<br/><br/>When he arrived at that alehouse, Dondarrion was already there. Their ales were served and once the waiter left, Beric started speaking immediately.<br/><br/>“<em>Look Mr. Snow, I don’t want to waste your time all that much but this meeting had to be in person.”<br/><br/>“I understand Beric. Now go on, tell me the news.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>So the container is buried as you requested. We had a slight malfunction though but after all, everything was handled.”<br/><br/>“That’s a shame but good. What about the man that was decapitated at the harbor?”<br/><br/>“We dumped him in the recycling compartment of the main trash. He’ll go unnoticed.”<br/><br/>“Very well but now let’s get serious. Tell me about what you know and don’t leave out anything.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>This has been going on for about eight years now and before you ask, yes, human trafficking is one of the things as well.It’s all a well oiled machine to be honest. We all know which ship is going to arrive and when. The containers are lowered and we are given another list with more containers on it. It’s like 10-15 out of a thousand. This Ramsay, he deals with it and makes sure that these containers disappear from the system. We then load those containers to the trucks and they leave the harbor without being checked at all. As I said, the police and the customs are in on it too. I think not even your boss knows everything in this much detail and surely whoever is conducting this business is way above Ramsay’s pay grade as well. Because it must be the same system with other harbors as well, since this is a two-way street. They do bribe us every now and then, I have so much money that I could pretty much buy a mansion and live in peace for the rest of my life.”<br/><br/>“Why don’t you then?”<br/><br/>“Because of Ramsay. We wanted out a couple of years back but then he said that we could be out whenever he said so. I got into a fight with him but he kicked my ass. Then that sick bastard threatened me with my family and I had to back off. He is a twisted son of a bitch I’m telling you. I’ve never been afraid of anyone in my life but that bastard really terrifies me. Neither me, nor my co-workers, we cannot find a way out.”<br/><br/>“What about the union?”<br/></em><br/><em>“Nestoris is already in bed with them, like the one before him and the one before him. Who do you think got us involved in this shitstorm?”<br/><br/>“Fuck.”<br/><br/>“You know, we kinda thought you were in on it too. But then the last time for the contracts, you were on our side and you looked like you cared.The worst case was that you would have shut us down and threatened us so we decided to take a chance.”<br/><br/>“A fucking great move, thank you.”<br/><br/>“The whole thing has been halted though. Nothing has been coming in or going out for a while.”<br/><br/>“Of course not and I know why. Whatever, now give me the coordinates.”<br/><br/>“You know Mr. Snow, you are the one with brains so we’re counting on you. The level of crime is unimaginable here so please for R’hllor’s sake, do something.”  <br/><br/></em>With that, Dondarrion was gone. Jon took a good look at the harbor from the alehouse and cursed inwardly. When he checked his phone, he noticed the text from Marge, telling him that he was supposed to dine with the CEO of the Stormlands Union Bank. He huffed, put out his cigarette, downed his ale and went home to change.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It melted his heart to see Dany so happy.<br/><br/>Ned knew, all of his life he hadn’t been necessarily the best person around. He was sure that he was going to die in agony and pain; suffering for all that he had done in the past. His inability to connect with his own son, inflicting pain and punishment on him at every turn for something that wasn’t even his fault. He knew that he was doomed and he thought that he was going to die that night, if it weren’t for Dany.</p>
<p><br/>Since that tiny woman had entered his life, everything had changed for the better. He still had flashes of anger and pain but mostly was able to supress them. Dany’s calm and preserved aura had breathed flame into his cold heart and gradually, the gruff, untamed Ned Stark had become an old dog who would be content with just enjoying the simple pleasures of life.<br/><br/>Still, the surprises weren’t done as he was taking Dany to the races. They shouted and cheered for a few horses until Dany noticed Davos was sitting a few rows in front of them. He looked clearly disappointed as Ned knew that he was secretly gambling. When Marya found out, she would give him hell for that so he laughed out loudly and called Davos to come join them.<br/><br/>The family lawyer’s presence was always comforting and soothing as Dany also enjoyed him being around. They laughed amongst themselves and Ned asked whether Davos had everything he wanted prepared, only for him to confirm and tell him that everything was ready for his signature. Satisfied with the whole situation, Ned asked them whether they were hungry. Just when they were thinking to ride back to Winterfell and eat at the restaurant, Jon Umber came and insisted that they were invited to eat at his farm. Knowing that it would be rude to decline, Ned urged Dany and Davos to come with and they ended up at where they started.<br/><br/>The food was delicious and being in a happy mood, Ned couldn’t refrain from eating like a mad man. His appetite had never been better in years and he was really enjoying all that gamey meat. Devouring plate after plate, they finally headed back to the car and straight to Winterfell. Once the destination was reached, Rodrik dropped them to the restaurant as Ned would want to oversee the closing numbers and Dany needed a few things from the office anyway. On the return home, it was Dany who was napping and Ned was the one watching and enjoying the road. He saw the sign appear in front of his eyes but for the first time in fifteen years, he didn’t look away. The sign which read Snow’s End became bigger and bigger, only to be left behind to disappear.<br/><br/>Noticing that he had eaten way too much, Ned asked for sparkling water from the kitchens. Having a few sips, he told everyone that he would go and take a short walk before coming back to the restaurant. The walk however wasn’t as refreshing as he thought it would be. His thoughts started overtaking him, even on this fine day. He thought about his boy, how he failed him, how he failed at even attempting to connect or reconnect with him, how he made a complete mess out of the situation at every turn, stomping on the boy and his honor at every possible opportunity. All that Ned Stark had been was what Rickard Stark had envisioned for him. He had craved his father’s approval all his life and had to shed his skin so he could change his personality and get the approval he so craved throughout his life. He had thought that Jon would have come around sooner or later but the boy had too much of Ashara in him as he was stubborn as hell and had his will and unwavering, relentless personality. Instead of complying, Jon had decided to break free from his clutches and had run away, never to return.<br/><br/>Even on this fine day, sadness had taken over him. Noticing this walk wasn’t doing him any good; he decided to return to the restaurant but slowed down in the process. He was maybe two blocks away from the restaurant as he felt a sharp pain at his left arm, his breathing became more rapid and he felt his end was nearing. He knew that Dany wasn’t going to be able to reach him on time and just when he tried to reach for the restaurant which was at least still a hundred yards away, he collapsed to his knees and was able to whisper one word, before closing his eyes, forever.<br/><br/><em>“Jon”</em><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>It was around the hour that they would give the leftovers to the homeless children.<br/><br/>Noticing that the time was coming, she signalled to the kitchens to bring the leftovers and went back to the office to gather her things. She knew that Ned would be there any moment now and she didn’t want him to wait for her longer than necessary. While she was grabbing her bag, she noticed voices being raised from the main area and immediately headed out. Edd was arguing with one of the little children, telling him that their food wasn’t ready yet so he had to wait, but the child was insisting that he needed to see her. Rushing to the main gate, Dany scolded Edd for his behavior and urged the little child to speak.<br/><br/>“<em>Miss Dany, I just saw Ned Stark lying on the street. I think you should come before it’s too late.”<br/><br/></em>The whole world crashed upon her as she rushed straight outside. She barely felt Tormund and Jorah following her but didn’t hear a single noise around. When she found Ned about a hundred yards away from the restaurant, she started shaking the old man to no avail. She desperately tried for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation again, just like she had five years ago, again to no avail. Tormund had reached her side by that time and he tried doing the same but Ned wasn’t moving. Her vision became blurry as Tormund tried once more and gave up, shaking his head. Dany wanted to try again but this time it was Jorah who pulled her away. She wanted to scream as tears flooded her eyes but everything choked at her throat. With tears in her eyes, she removed the wolf-pin from Ned’s jacket as the ambulance arrived and the sirens overtook everything.<br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well...</p>
<p>This was very, VERY difficult to bring together. When I started the story, I knew that we were going to end up here but then again, executing it was more difficult than I had imagined. Hopefully it will be satisfying enough for everyone who reads this chapter.</p>
<p>Kudos and comments are always motivating and constructive criticism is welcome at any time. </p>
<p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Father</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>People of the North deal with Ned Stark's death and the news finally reach Jon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was so quiet that it was almost disturbing.<br/><br/>Every night, around the same hour, Lyanna Stark would retire to her quarters. She would read a little until the mansion would get totally quiet and in that quiet only, she would go to sleep. Only sometimes Ned would arrive a little late and while he would be extremely careful about not making a noise, one of the stairs would make a sound every time he stepped on it and that would always give him away. This night however, was different. Too different that it made her tremble.<br/><br/>She checked the time once again and then checked her phone. Usually either Ned or Dany would let her know that they would be late but then again, the hour wasn’t that late either. The Moat was still technically open at the hour and sometimes Ned would gather his people and have a drink with them before leaving. Maybe it was one of those nights again and she was worrying for nothing. Everything had been so chaotic that she couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong. Maybe nothing was wrong after all and this was her mind, playing games with her. She decided to leave it be as she moved up from the bed to dress into her nightgown. Just when she opened the door of the wardrobe, she heard Jeyne speaking on the phone, way louder than usual. In the quiet of the mansion, she could hear the fear and sadness in Jeyne’s voice and she once again sat down on her bed. The conversation had ended and Jeyne was climbing the stairs. The sound of each step combined with her heartbeat, making the effect more devastating.<br/><br/>There weren’t maybe too many stairs but then again that climb felt like it took hours. Lyanna had lost track of time and she was just staring at her door. Something must had gone wrong and now the news were reaching her. She straightened herself and kept staring at the door with intensity. Jeyne knocked on the door thrice and entered without Lyanna saying anything. She just kept staring at that point with the same intensity, only to find Jeyne in complete shock, with tears in her eyes, had covered her mouth with her hand to prevent her from crying out loud. Lyanna carefully sat up, patted Jeyne on her shoulder and told her to stay. She put her phone in her purse and slowly climbed down the stairs. The cold air of Winterfell hit her in the face when she stepped outside, only to find Davos waiting for her. He escorted her to his car and started the engine.<br/><br/>Not a word was spoken during the ride as Davos drove at a casual speed. Noticing that there was no rush, Lyanna at that point understood for good that there was nothing to be done, nothing they could do and that was that. With a slick move, Davos parked the car in front of Winterfell Central Hospital and left his seat to open Lyanna’s door to help her get out. A huge crowd had already gathered in front of the hospital and that scared her. Everything was now in slow motion for her and as she walked from the car to the main entrance, the crowd instantly sepearted into two and made way for her. She heard the footsteps as she noticed it was Davos following her slowly from behind. Her vision was blurry from trying to hold the tears in, as she wasn’t allowed to show any weakness in public. She noticed Dany, Tormund, Jorah and Edmure sitting on the bench, near the enterance. When they noticed her coming, they all stood up and looked at her. Edmure was trembling while Jorah was barely holding it together. Tormund was his usual self; as he had a small smile on his face, which didn’t reach his eyes. Dany looked numb, she was staring completely blank and at that point Lyanna figured that the young woman’s life had crashed upon her. She on the other hand was rather prepared for such thing and that was the only thing that helped keep her composure.<br/><br/>After carefully analyzing her surroundings, Lyanna decided that it was time to move forward. Duty had to be done and for that, tears had to be shed first. Ned was gone and Jon wasn’t here, therefore she had to lead the family now. <em>“A family of two isn’t necessarily a family.” </em>she thought to herself and the thought depressed her. She took a deep breath and turned to Davos.<br/><br/>“<em>I want to see him.”<br/><br/>“There isn’t much to see I’m afraid.”<br/><br/>“No, I have to see him this one last time. He was my brother. I have every right.”<br/><br/>“That you have. We should go in that case. Would you like me to handle the paperwork?”<br/><br/>“Please do. I’d like to have a moment alone with him.”<br/><br/></em>She was the first to go through the door, while Davos and Dany followed her. Tormund and the others had reluctantly stayed behind, as she noticed the crowd becoming bigger and bigger. For a moment she even thought that she saw Harrion Karstark there but couldn’t be sure, as everything was a blur. They arrived at the information desk, Davos started handling the paperwork and the diener led them towards the morgue. She asked the young man to leave them alone and he respectuflly bowed out of the room. Dany had stayed a step behind to give her privacy and Lyanna appreciated that with every fiber of her being.<br/><br/>All the color had left his face and he looked more than gray now. This was the great Ned Stark’s end after all. He would leave this world pale and naked, in the way he came. All the memories they had together flashed in front of her eyes and Lyanna noticed that she was going to have difficulties maintaining her composure. She held her brother’s hand one last time and for a moment it felt like Ned smiled back at her. She completely broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably and her cries were echoed from a few steps back, as she heard Dany’s sobs uniting with hers.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>She hadn’t slept for one moment at all.<br/><br/>After the paperwork had been dealt with, she and Tormund had returned to the restaurant. Dany hated that work needed to be up at least until the afternoon, for breakfast reservations had been made prior to the events. Her eyes had dried up from all the crying, her voice was nearly lost and she wasn’t herself to say the very least. She had been holding onto the wolf pin that Ned always had on his jacket and crying. That had been going on for hours and she had completely lost the track of time. She only realized that it was morning when the activity had started in the kitchens for the breakfast service. Tormund was just overseeing the preparations but wasn’t touchhing anything at all.<br/><br/>She slowly walked towards the kitchen and the first thing that caught her eye was Ned’s vest and his chef-knife hanging at the wall. He had hung it there as a sign of retirement, only to pick it up and use it on special occasions. Now Dany knew that the knife wasn’t going to be lowered anymore by any means necessary. It was going to stay there and go to dust with the restaurant itself if need be. Deciding that she needed some fresh air, she stepped outside, only to fight back the tears with all she had left, as she was seeing Ned, wherever she looked. He was this whole restaurant and now he was gone. With him gone, maybe everything was going to go. She didn’t know about the will, whether if Jon had any say on anything, whether actually if she was now the majority owner of this restaurant. There were so many questions in her head but she didn’t know how to answer them with all that pain. <br/><br/>While she was watching the last table leave, Tormund stepped out from the kitchen and came to stand next to her. The giant of a man had a big heart, but very often refrained from showing negative emotion. He had been completely silent since they had rushed Ned to the hospital to no avail. Having lived the majority of his life without a father, Ned had become a father to him, just like he had become a father figure to Dany herself. Her thoughts then went to her own father, whom she hadn’t seen in years. That cruel, vile and weak man had abused his power on his family and even thinking of him horrified her. She pushed the thoughts away and stepped a little further into the center of the main yard with the tables. The waiters and the kitchen staff started gathering around her, as she started preparing herself for one very hard speech that she had to pull through.<br/><br/>“<em>As you all know, Ned Stark died last night. We will first mourn him and then celebrate his life and what he gave to us. He was the life and soul of this restaurant; he was like the father we all loved, even though he scared us at times. We will remember him and we will make sure that his legacy will live on for years to come. Go home now and rest, for we will be closed for a few days until the mourning concludes.”<br/><br/></em>Her little speec h was met with ayes from her staff. They were her staff now and the thought horrified her a little. She had managed the restaurant in Ned’s absence but always knew that he would be coming back to take the reins or she could go to him in need. Neither option was going to be available from now on and that planted seeds of doubt into her heart. She stared blank for a while, only for Tormund to approach closer and talk for the first time in hours.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m sending Edd and three others to the mansion to help with the visitors. There will be quite the crowd there and they are short staffed at the mansion, you know that.”<br/><br/>“Good thinking, thank you. Are you on board with closing down for a few days? Sorry I just spoke without consulting with you.”<br/><br/>“No, it’s a good idea. In any case our heads won’t be on the job so it was the wiser decision.”<br/><br/>“Still can’t believe that he’s gone. He still had so much life in him.”<br/><br/>“That maybe true, but then again his anger ate him from within. In any case, he lived in the only way he knew and he lived a fine life. The dead can’t hear us and we should move forward. You know how he would have approached the matter himself.”<br/><br/>“You’re right. It’s good that you’re keeping a cool head, I’m completely blown away from everything.”<br/><br/>“You need rest, you haven’t slept at all. Once you get some sleep, it’ll be better.”<br/><br/></em>She could only nod at the statement as she hugged Tormund dearly, for he had been a huge support, despite not saying much. He was right and she needed the rest, but she didn’t know how and when she could get any. At that moment her phone started ringing and seeing that it was Edmure calling, she immediately responded and put it on speaker for Tormund to join in if necessary.<br/><br/>“<em>I hope nothing bad has happened.”<br/><br/>“No not really, I mean as if something worse can happen. Anyway, Ms. Stark wants to see you at the mansion. She isn’t necessarily in the best state either so maybe she does need your help a little.”<br/><br/>“I’m a mess myself but sure, anything she needs. I’ll be on my way.”<br/><br/>“No need for that actually, I’m already on my way to the Moat. I’ll be there in five.”<br/><br/></em>Edmure was surely on time as within five minutes, his car was by the main gate. She quickly left to prevent him from waiting and they rode back to the mansion in silence. Edmure was the youngst of the three men who had worked with Ned throughout the years. His speciality was in desserts, he went back a long time with Ned, as his father before him had also worked with Ned. Once getting to know him better she had learned that Edmure had always yearned for his own place and had attempted to open his own place thrice, only to come crawling back to where he felt the most comfortable. Dany knew that this wasn’t necessarily the best time to have this conversation but it had to be done and she couldn’t wait.<br/><br/>“<em>So before we go in, I just want to make sure that we all four are on the same page.”<br/><br/>“On the same page about what exactly?”<br/><br/>“That we aren’t leaving anytime soon and trying to go on our own way.”<br/><br/>“No, at least not now or say not in the next decade. To be honest I’m planning to retire at the Moat so have no worries.”<br/><br/>“Glad to hear it. How are you holding up otherwise?”<br/><br/>“Not really holding up. Once we get to the mansion you’ll see why.”<br/><br/></em>She couldn’t necessarily figure out why at that point, but once they entered from the main gate and she saw the scene at the main hall, she immediately understood. Jorah was there with Lynesse, Davos was there with Marya and Lyanna was just half herself, sitting numb and staring blank on the big couch were Ned used to just lay down and read the paper. There was a picture of Ned right next to Lyanna and the old woman’s eyes weren’t in any better shape than hers. Just when she was done observing the room, Ashara came running and hugged her dearly. Dany knew that she was still too young to understand what was going on so she tried to find a way to keep her daughter away from this chaos. Luckily both Beth and Alys were there chasing after her and immediately took her outside to play a little. Dany thanked them silently and made her way in. After greeting everyone and hugging Lyanna dearly, Lyanna asked her to sit next to her. The old woman turned and looked at her for a brief moment and initiated the conversation<br/><br/>“<em>How are you doing? I can see that you haven’t slept at all.”<br/><br/>“As fine as anyone can be after you know… How are YOU holding up?”<br/><br/>“As you can see, like shit. Then again I know that Ned wouldn’t approve me letting go this easily so I’m trying to hold on.”<br/><br/>“I guess without going back, we can’t go forward. Tormund and I opted to keep the restaurant closed for a few days. It had to be done in the spur of a moment or otherwise we weren’t going to be able to…”<br/><br/>“No I understand and you don’t need my approval anyway. I have nothing to do with the restaurant. You four will decide on what to do and how to do, in whichever way you deem fit. Ned has prepared you all for this day so you will now rule.”<br/><br/></em>That statement was met with ayes and nods of approval. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted this responsibility at all but then again she knew she had to, because she had promised to Ned. Lyanna then held her hand and turned to Davos with panic.<br/><br/>“<em>Jon. We need to let Jon know about this.”<br/><br/>(5 years ago)<br/></em><br/>They were locked in a total staredown and she needed to break the silence. She wanted to speak but couldn’t make a sound, then opened her mouth to no avail. Ned Stark was still looking at her with the warmest of eyes and she could see the gratitude in them. She built up the necessary courage to speak, but was only able to mutter nonsense words about hoping he was feeling better and so on. The silence was getting more and more awkward with each passing moment, until the lawyer just decided to speak.<br/><br/>“<em>Well damn it Ned, fucking say something.”</em><br/><br/>That had broken the ice as everyone had chuckled at that remark. Ned Stark finally moved down the stairs of the patio and hugged her dearly. That had taken her by surprise and she hugged the man back in the most fragile of ways. The awkwardness was broken but most importantly, for the first time in many years, she was feeling safe and secure and she never wanted to leave. The old man looked at her warmly after breaking the hug and invited her inside. <br/><br/>“<em>Come now, we have lots to talk about.”</em><br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>The phone would ring but there was no answer. Lyanna tried again and again for numerous times to no avail. Dany was getting tired by just watching the situation itself. What kind of men wouldn’t answer his phone, a call from his only remaining family to be specific, at a very normal hour for a conversation? Lyanna huffed furiously and mumbled about Jon never answering his phone when necessary. The old woman then gave the phone to Dany and asked for her to find Jon’s assistant’s number.<br/><br/>“<em>Sure I can but what is the name?”<br/><br/>“The name is Margaery. It should say Jon’s assistant next to it but I can’t find anything now because my glasses are in my bedroom.”<br/><br/>“Alright then, here you go, that’s her.”<br/><br/></em>Dany just observed Lyanna as the rest of the room did. The phone rang and rang and finally it was answered. The speaker gave way the excitement on the young woman’s voice as she cheerfully answered the phone. Dany’s mind went to Jon once again, as he was a good looking man, but clearly was a broken soul, maybe as broken as she was. Once it was picked up, Lyanna stood up and went near the window and with a hoarse voice, started breaking the news to the young woman.<br/><br/>“<em>Hello dear, I’ve been trying to get to Jon but he doesn’t pick up as always. His father passed away late last night. Will you please give him the news or at least have him call me back? Thank you.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>The dinner with the CEO, sleeping with a random chick afterwards, hearing the woman leave early in the morning and his alarm ringing had summed up a packed twelve hours. Jon got up from the bed, did some push-ups and sit-ups, headed to the shower and dressed himself. After a cup of coffee and a quick, simple breakfast, he went through social media to see what had happened and got ready to leave. His cleaning lady arrived when he was putting his coat on. He welcomed the woman inside and reminded her about the dry-cleaning before leaving. It looked like to be a fine day as he took the elevator downstairs, took his car and started driving to work. Checking through the mails, he knew that there would be a board meeting to be handled. He knew that he was going to need to head to the meeting straightaway, without being able to go through his office first. He dialed Mormont’s number and told her to meet him by the door, which was answered with a simple yes. Next up was Gendry, as he was going to be in the board meeting for the first time and despite not liking the fact that he was going to have a seat at the table, Jon not only wanted him to feel welcome as a friend, but also wanted him to get comfortable, which would make him prone to making mistakes, eventually that would give them the excuse to remove him from his position.<br/><br/>He was met at the door by Mormont, who again had no expression on her face. She handed him the folder for him to look at but Jon wasn’t necessarily interested in the data. Looking at his surroundings and making sure nobody around would hear them out, he told Mormont to speak and brief him quickly before the meeting.<br/><br/><em>“So I ran through everything and analyzed the data for you. Not just going through it but also comparing the numbers. Within the past decade, around a hundred million containers were handled. Around three million of those are off-record and I think you can see the clear picture with the number.”<br/><br/>“Thank you Mormont and get back to the office now. We’ll talk about this more once the meeting is over. And hey, here, take my phone and my laptop to my office will you? Leave the phone but scan the laptop for anything untrustworthy.”<br/><br/></em>While the young woman took the elevator, Jon took a moment for himself and thought. Three million was an insane amount and he couldn’t put his finger on anything. This would surely get more and more complicated as they dug deeper. He cursed inwardly and took the other elevator straight to the floor where the board meeting would be held. The elevator dinged and when he got out, he found Gendry waiting for him.<br/><br/>“<em>Oh good Snow, you’re here. I’m a little nervous to be honest.”<br/><br/>“No need Waters; we’ll cut you some slack on your first meeting. You have nothing to be afraid of.”<br/><br/>“That was just a figure of speech asshole. Up for a few drinks after the meeting?”<br/><br/>“No I can’t. I have another meeting with my team later on. Plus contracts should be prepared for White Harbor and I cannot trust Baelish with those. So lots of stuff to do, but maybe next time.”<br/><br/></em>Gendry just nodded as they slowly walked towards the conference room. Arianne was waiting in front of the room as she welcomed them with a polite smile which didn’t reach her eyes. Jon immediately sensed the discomfort of the young woman but paid her no mind. The board had gathered and now they were waiting for the boss to enter. Oberyn always liked a dramatic entrance and as they sat down and waited for him, Jon saw his boss approaching the room, dressed in all black. He rushed into the room as people tried to stand up but with a slick hand movement Oberyn signaled for everyone to sit down.<br/><br/>“<em>Alright, I’ll need to be on a plane within an hour so this will be quick. Let’s get straight to business so start with what’s on our plate.”<br/><br/></em>Baelish was the first one to stand up and start talking as he presented the contract for the White Harbor mission. The copies were delivered one by one and everyone looked through the contract while Baelish kept on explaining what was what. Deciding that he and his team were going to go through this later on, Jon paid the slimy man no mind and looked around the room. He was awakened by his thoughts by Oberyn’s voice as he was asked about the sponsorship issue for the Wintrfell Wolves, to which he answered positively. There was a brief silence before Oberyn stood up and looked around the room. He then cleared his throat and started speaking.<br/><br/><em>“You will all receive the memo once the meeting is over but I wanted to be the one to tell you. Mr. Petyr Baelish is being promoted to acting CEO from now on. He will also be the executive senior vice president of trade operations and president of harbor trade.”<br/><br/></em>There was a round of applause around the room as Jon and Gendry locked eyes. He then noticed Ari staring at her father with discomfort. When the applause died, Oberyn then turned to him and continued.<br/><br/>“<em>We’re also dividing the finances in two. Mr. Jon Snow is now in charge o Westerosi portfolio investments, while our guest on the board Mr. Gendry Waters will handle the international investments.With a crisis threatening our assets, I will need you two financial wizards on that side of the trade.”<br/><br/></em>There were mumbles around the room this time. Everyone knew that Jon was in line for CEO and was a way better candidate than Baelish. Even Oberyn himself had told him just recently that Baelish didn’t possess the qualities to become CEO. Still, he was stripped of his powers and now was just given a simple task. In private that would have been maybe okay but this was done to him where everyone could see. The whole thing made him sick to his stomach but he knew he couldn’t make a scene so he kept his composure.<br/><br/>“<em>Alright then, I need to depart for Harrenhal now so Mr. Baelish will lead the meeting from now on. Good day to you all.”<br/><br/></em>Oberyn left with that and that piece of shit Baelish stood up from his end of the table to come and sit on Oberyn’s chair. There was a look of satisfaction on his smug face and the sight itself was enough to enrage Jon. Trying to keep his shit together was becoming more and more difficult. He finally rose from his seat and left the conference room without saying a word. He heard the sound from the heels to notice that Ari had followed her outside but he was fuming. He started walking around in circles but was consumed by the fire within himself. Ari hesitated to make a move towards him but decided against it. He saw Marge with the corner of his eye but didn’t turn towards her as he kept on walking in circles. Finally he took deep breaths to calm himself down and looked at Ari.<br/><br/>“<em>I hate him. I fucking hate his smug face, I FUCKING HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM.”<br/><br/></em>Ari stepped forward and held his hands in her own. She was looking at him with sad eyes but she didn’t say anything. He then heard Marge stepping forward to approach him as well. He turned around and looked at her. She had his phone in her hands and was trembling. His state of mind wasn’t ready enough to analyze anything at all so he gave her a questioning look. When Marge trembled even more, he knew that he had to take the initiative.<br/><br/>“<em>Well what is it? Speak up.”<br/><br/>“Jon…”<br/><br/>“What is it Marge, do tell me what is it.”<br/><br/>“You should call your aunt Lyanna. I brought your phone.”<br/><br/>“My aunt? How do you know about my aunt?”<br/><br/>“Jon please, just call your aunt okay?”<br/><br/></em>She had left the phone in his hands without saying another word. Jon’s mind had completely shut down and he didn’t know what to do. He looked at the phone to see numerous calls from his aunt, Tormund and Davos. Huffing to himself, he reluctantly pressed the button and called his aunt. While waiting for it ring he noticed Marge talking to Ari and the meeting had ben adjourned as people started leaving the conference room. Ari’s expression changed for the worse as Lyanna picked up the call.<br/><br/>“<em>My dear boy, finally… I have grave news…”<br/><br/></em>Those were the last sentences he heard clearly as his aunt informed him of his father’s death. He couldn’t say a word to his aunt as the call ended while Ari approached and hugged him dearly. He tried to gather himself but couldn’t. His brain had stopped working as he didn’t understand a single thing happening around him. Breaking free, he headed to the elevator to his office to gather some of the stuff because he needed to get out of there. Once he entered the office space, he noticed Sam and Lyanna standing and waiting for him. When both offered condolences, he panicked even more and rushed to his office without saying a word. Just taking his laptop and a few folders, he quickly rushed outside again and threw himself to the elevator. His breathing became more rapid as he loosened his tie. He felt a huge pain in his chest as he was suffering from a panic attack. With a final hustle, he rushed himself out of the building as the fresh air started clearing his mind. He signaled for his car to be brought and once it came, he drove furiously to Blackwater Bay.<br/><br/>Sitting down on a bench, he lit a cigarette as he ran through twitter to check the news. There were some tweets about his father’s death and that pained him even more. He hadn’t thought that he would be this affected by the news, for the better half of his life he had wanted Ned Stark to die. A tear dropped from his eye as he wiped it away and put away his phone. After staring a while at the bay, his phone rang again. He wasn’t keen on answering it but it was Oberyn calling and he knew he had to pick it up.<br/><br/>“<em>My condolences son, if there is anything I can do for you, just say the word. The jet is yours, take it to Winterfell and handle your business. Take a few days off to gather yourself. Ari can come with you if necessary.”<br/><br/>“Thank you Mr. Martell, I don’t know if I’ll go but thanks for the offer again. Right now I just know that I need to be alone.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say son, the offer is always on the table. Do what you must.”<br/><br/></em>After the call had ended, Jon decided to go back home, for it was the only place he truly could be alone. He drove fast to his place and within minutes he was home. His cleaning lady was just leaving and was surprised by his early arrival. She just told him that his dry cleaning was taken care of and his favorite kidney pie was ready and waiting for him in the kitchen. Jon barely smiled at the woman as she left but when the door was opened, she saw Ari waiting right outside. Knowing that he didn’t have a choice, he let her in.<br/><br/>A few minutes later there was fresh coffee made and he was sitting by the window, watching the city. Trying to act normal, Jon stood up and went to his movie collection and asked Ari whether she wanted to watch something. The young woman was completely caught off guard with that as she was probably expecting him to break down. She didn’t say a word at first but decided to take a seat and then started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>You make me feel like an idiot. It’s not normal what you’re doing. You cannot act like nothing happened.”<br/><br/>“Maybe you’re right. I wasn’t expecting this to hit me this hard. Almost all my life I wanted to be rid of his clutches, for the better half of my life I wished him dead and now he died and I don’t know what to feel.”<br/><br/>“Isn’t that normal? I mean I don’t know a damn thing about your relationship with your father but if it was that strained, maybe you’re just experiencing the shock and it will get better with time?”<br/><br/>“Maybe so, but then again nothing will erase the marks he left on my life.”<br/><br/>“Do you want to tell me more about it maybe? Just a little though. I can see that you’re not that ready to go into detail yet.”<br/><br/>“Well… what he wanted for me was to succeed after him to run his restaurant. I wanted a life away from him, away from that fucking restaurant and I wanted to be successful on my own. He didn’t even want me to go to college here. He wanted to dictate my life and tortured me for standing up against him. I was so happy the day I moved here because I thought that I was rid of him for good.”<br/><br/>“But then you ran into him recently.”<br/><br/>“That’s true. That reminded me of how much I hated him in the first place. It was still good to see my aunt and I’m really sorry that she got mixed up in this shitstorm. She always loved me and cared for me. Even after I moved here she would secretly send me money until I got a job.”<br/><br/>“Then you should go and see her.”<br/><br/>“I should do what?”<br/><br/>“You should go and be with her. She has no fault in this and clearly you have punished her for just being lost in the mixture. Don’t punish her further, she’s your only family after all.”<br/><br/>“You’re right, she’s suffered enough. I just so fucking hate that restaurant and I want to burn it to the ground. I fucking hate everything about it.”<br/><br/>“Well now that it’s rightfully yours, you can do whatever you want with it. When the time comes, I’ll also burn this company, the harbors and all those fucking ships to the ground. I hate each and every single on of those things with a burning passion.”<br/><br/></em>While the talk of the harbor and the ships had disturbed him, her passion and hatred towards a father and the obsession of legacy was what they had in common so he smiled. Ari then gave him a big hug and they stayed that way for a while. Without him knowing she had kissed him and he was caught off guard. He stayed numb for a while but then quickly gathered himself and broke free. Ari was shocked, whether it was by her own behavoir or his reaction, that he didn’t know. She continuously mumbled that she was sorry, grabbed her purse and just left within a rush. Everything had fallen apart in a matter of hours and he fucking hated everything.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>The phone call had devastated the old woman even more.<br/><br/>Dany watched in pain as Lyanna Stark once again sobbed out of despair. Lynesse and Marya immediately attended to her as she wanted to take a breather and stepped outside. There were hundreds of people in the yard, all waiting to offer their condolences. Some of them were just sitting and waiting, some were chatting around themselves and some were eating the food that was being served. Davos came next to her and offered her a cigarette, which she gladly took. At that moment, a big jeep arrived at the main gate and a tall man with graying hair stepped out of the car. Walking slowly and greeting everyone on his was, he approached them and Davos stepped down from the patio to meet him. Dany moved a step closer to listen to the conversation as there was nothing better to do.<br/><br/>“<em>My condolences Davos, I knew you two were close. How is his family, how is Jon?”<br/><br/>“Thank you Mance, he was just informed of the news but didn’t react. That hit Lyanna as hard as Ned’s death. Now she feels that she has no family.”<br/><br/>“Maybe it was just the shock. The boy will come around, that much I can tell.”<br/><br/>“For his sake and Lyanna’s, I hope he does. Otherwise I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”<br/><br/>“I’m telling you, no need. From what I saw, that boy has more love for his family than you all think. Anyway, I should join the rest of the people now to wait. I heard that he would be buried here and I came to pay my respects.”<br/><br/>“Thank you once again Mance. He wanted no fuzz and no ceremony to be held. Just his body will be brought from the morgue to here and that’s all. He only wanted family and close friends to attend the funeral. It was what he wanted since the heart attack.”<br/><br/></em>With that, this Mance Rayder had left and joined the rest of the people who were just sitting there. Dany gave Davos a questioning look, to which he signaled <em>“later” </em>as the vehicle carrying Ned’s coffin arrived at the main gate. Lyanna and the others stepped out of the house after hearing the noise and slowly walked down the patio. Tormund, Jorah and Edmure were immediately joined by Rodrik, Jory and Davos. The six of them picked the coffin, put it on their shoulders and started walking towards the Godswood as people who were waiting silently watched. Lyanna signaled her to follow them as she was considered family. Ashara had broken free of Alys and Beth’s clutches and was looking at her with a questioning look. Knowing that she had no choice, she held her daughter’s hand and dragged her along towards the Godswood. Once they entered the space that was so sacred for Ned, Dany heard a big round of applause from the courtyard as people celebrated the man called Ned Stark, for one last time.<br/><br/>They passed the Godswood and the small house that Ned had first built when he had started living here. Across from the house were the tombstones reading Rickard Stark, Lyarra Stark and Ashara Dayne-Stark. Next to Ashara’s tomb, a grave was dug, the shovel was left there and it had one of Ned’s beloved vests hanging from it. At that moment it hit all of them, as Ned was clearly aware of his end coming and he had dug his own grave days before. She barely heard Davos muttering something as tears started flowing freely and blurred her vision.<br/><br/><em>(6 days ago) <br/><br/>“I don’t know what to do my love. I’m aware that I’m reaching the end of the road and each day is bringing me closer to you. Still, I can’t fix anything with the boy. I haven’t been able to since you’ve been gone. I regret it every day and when I saw him today, I regretted everything once more. There is so much of you in him and the parts of me that I don’t like. Maybe Dany might fix things after I’m gone but…”<br/><br/></em>After a brief moment of regret and grief, the anger had overtaken the sadness as he was fuming. He went into the old house to pick a shovel and started digging his own grave. The time was near and he was feeling it. He was once again fuming with anger and he channeled the anger into his movements. After fifteen fucking years the boy had showed up, made a mess and left again. His movements became harder and faster as he kept on ranting.<br/><br/>“<em>I tried everything to fix you. I did everything I knew. I tried to reach you but you always stayed away. Fucking little shit, I did everything for you. Things that you don’t know and yet you come to my house and stand up to me like you’re a self made man. You were nothing without me and you will be nothing again without me. I maybe fought and lost but now I will rest. But you, you little shit, you will fight your stupid battles forever.”<br/><br/></em>(Present day)<br/><br/>She was only brought back to the land of living when Varys touched her on the shoulder. The bald man used to be the Winterfell police comissioner but had retired soon after they had been first introduced. He was a close friend of Ned’s and was a friend of the family as well. He offered her condolences and she silently thanked him. As the coffin was lowered to the grave and everything was handled, Dany felt cold. It was silent and cold, a typical day in Winterfell but the chill was disturbing. Once everything was done, Lyanna took a step forward and turned to them.<br/><br/>“<em>This is Ned Stark’s family. The Great Ned Stark’s closest circle.We will make sure that his legacy lives on and I want to thank each and every one of you for being here and supporting me. The ones who haven’t joined us will neither be forgotten, nor forgiven.”<br/><br/></em>Dany knew in her heart that the last sentence was about Jon. She hadn’t attended her own father’s funeral either but that was a whole different thing. Her father was everything Ned Stark wasn’t. He was cruel, abusive, weak and he had prevented her from living her dreams. She silently looked at Lyanna as she approached, while the older woman’s eyes were flashing with anger. In her mind this was a big question mark as Jon was on good terms with her and with Ned gone, she had thought that he would at least attend the funeral to show Lyanna some support but then again, apparently that wasn’t the case.<br/><br/>Everyone had left to join the people at the courtyard while Dany wanted one last moment with the old man to herself. She kneeled before the tomb and put her hand on the living earth on top of the coffin. This was her only connection to Ned Stark now and while she didn’t know how often she would get to visit and pour her heart out, she sure wanted to do it now.<br/><br/>“<em>You opened up your heart to me, gave me a home when I didn’t have one, gave me life when I lost mine. If it weren’t for you, I would have been nothing. I would have been lost, maybe dead even. My daughter would have ended up in an orphanage. You sheltered me from the dangers of the outside and made me whole again. Words aren’t enough for me to thank you and they will never be enough. I may not want to live for long now that you’re gone, but I promise you, I will do everything in my power so that your legacy will live on. I will finish the book we’ve been working on and will make sure it gets published. Your mark will stay on this earth forever…”<br/><br/>(5 years ago)<br/><br/></em>The mansion was massive. It looked even bigger once she was inside of it. Ned Stark led her through the main hall, showed her the rooms, all the areas that he and his sister spent time and finally stopped in front of a really big room and turned to her. He was still warmly smiling at her and she was puzzled at the sight. He let her inside the room and followed after her. The room was majestic, everything was modestly done and there was space enough for easily two people to live their lives. She gave the old man a questioning look but she said nothing because she was afraid of sounding rude. Ned once again smiled at her and opened his arms.<br/><br/>“<em>This is yours now. From now on this is your house as much as it is mine. I owe you my life; therefore I want to share what I have with you. Now before you try coming up with an excuse which won’t be proper at all, let me tell you a few things. Once Davos and Tormund found you, I immediately sent some of my people to figure out what kind of a place you worked at and where you lived in. You are never going back to that shithole and never ever working for that asshole again. As I said, this house is yours and it will be yours until the end of your days.”<br/><br/>“But my daughter…”<br/><br/>“…is already being brought here. I already have a crib being brought here to your liking. My sister Lyanna and our workers here will take care of her, while you will train to become the manager at the restaurant.”<br/><br/>“The restaurant?”<br/><br/>“Oh you will see. Follow me, it’s a short ride.”<br/><br/></em>Within ten minutes, they were at the fanciest restaurant she had ever laid eyes on. It had a large garden, a huge yard, tables for two, tables for groups and then another massive area for private events. Ned showed her around a little and when they came back to the yard, that massive redhead who found her was standing in the middle of the yard with two others next to him. Ned took a look at them, grinned at her and started introducing.<br/><br/>“<em>The blonde one here is Jorah, his specality is bakery in origin but over time, he learned how to work the meat as well. This here is Edmure, who specializes in desserts but that’s about that. He tried to open his own business, just like his father before him, thrice, only to come crawling back here. This giant one, Tormund, you already know. He is the sous-chef and is in charge of the kitchens if I’m not around.”<br/><br/></em>She shook hands with the trio, while they were grinning like idiots at her. She still hadn’t understood what she was supposed to do here so she decided to ask. She was given a new life and that was more than okay, but she wanted to know the details as well.<br/><br/>“<em>So uhm, Ned, I want to ask you something. What is it that you want me to do here? I’m nowhere near a cook, I can barely prepare a salad on my own, at least that was before the whole hand situation. I’m guessing you’re not expecting me to get behind the counter and cook, right?”<br/></em><br/>“<em>Hahah no my dear, what I want from you is to keep the order around here. See, with my health declining, I will need to retire at some point and I want to groom you for managing the restaurant. We will do it so that you have time for everything in your life of course. You will meet my contacts, get to know the important people around and within no time, I’m sure you’ll know your way around here. Now, do we have a deal?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Yes.”</em><br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>She stood up from where she had kneeled and gathered herself. She took one last look at the tombs and turned around. Making a fist with her injured hand, she rubbed it to the old stone house as the rush of pain awakened her body. She didn’t care about her bloody hands as she bit her fingers before entering the Godswood. She walked through the sacred ground with pain on her face and found herself again surrounded by hundreds. She noticed Davos shaking hands with this Mance and accompanying him to his vehicle. After walking through the crowd, she stepped on the patio and was greeted by Lynesse, who happened to notice her bloody hand. Lynesse immediately lead her inside and took out the first aid kit to help her. After being told that Lyanna had retired to her quarters and they would handle things, she slowly made her way to her room, to finally get some sleep.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It was deadly silent at the office.<br/><br/>Lyanna loved silence, but this was somehow disturbing. She was socially awkward and she was aware of it, but then again she knew that something had to be done for Mr. Jon Snow. After all, he had trusted her, found her when nobody was paying attention to her and had opened the door for new opportunities at life. Now that she was a part of his team, she had gotten to know these people as well. They were harmless and nice towards her, especially Margaery. This Sam fellow however wasn’t maybe the most confident person she had ever seen but he was clearly smart and was good at what he did. Taking one more sip from her coffee, she checked the two once again, only to find them staring blank as well. The news had clearly devestated them all and they didn’t know what to do. Sam huffed, turned to Marge and started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>I didn’t even know his father was alive or he had a father. He never speaks about these things and I thought I had a solid friendship with him. How did you know about his aunt?”<br/><br/>“I actually didn’t. She found me a couple of years ago actually through the company’s website. She’s the most polite woman ever. Calls me every now and then when she can’t reach Jon or can’t hear from him for a long while.”<br/><br/>“That makes sense somehow. Still, it’s really interesting that he never mentioned his family up to this date. I mean my relationship with my father is fucked up and everyone knows about it.”<br/><br/>“Maybe that’s just the type of person he is. He is preserved and very private, you know that. You’ll only know what he wants you to know and that’s always been this way.”<br/><br/>“That’s true. Have you tried calling? I called three times but he didn’t return my calls.”<br/><br/>“I called like maybe five times and no answer, nothing.”<br/><br/></em>At that moment Lyanna decided that she would give it a try as well. There was no harm in doing so and the worst case was that she would get lost in the shuffle, which didn’t mean anything bad. She took out her phone and dialed his number and to her surprise, he picked up.<br/><br/>“<em>What is it? Please don’t give me any further bad news.”<br/><br/>“Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?”<br/><br/>“No and sure, you can come.”<br/><br/>“Alright.”<br/><br/></em>Ending the call, she started gathering her things to the surprise of her collagues. Marge looked a bit upset that her calls weren’t picked up but Lyanna’s had been. Sam on the other hand was watching her with keen interest. As she was getting ready to leave, Baelish came into their area with the most disturbing smile on his face.<br/><br/>“<em>So how is Jon? I just heard the news.”<br/><br/></em>There was no answer to that and maybe that had Baelish caught a little off guard. Trying to impose his will, he then spoke a little louder with what he said next.<br/><br/>“<em>I presume you got the memo, right?”<br/><br/></em>This time Sam was the one who answered.<br/><br/>“<em>When something comes fifty times in a row, it’s impossible to not to get it.”<br/><br/></em>That had angered Baelish for sure as he approached Sam’s desk, but the younger man wasn’t going to be bullied by a slimy snake. He stood up from his chair and looked Baelish straight in the eye.<br/><br/>“<em>Take one more step and that will be the last step you ever take. Jon may not be here, but you won’t come here and disrespect him. I will gladly kick your ass right here, right now.”<br/><br/></em>Lyanna just smiled at the younger man’s show of confidence and got going. The last thing she wanted was to interact with another human whom she despised. She didn’t even wait for the elevator and took the stairs. Once she was out, she signaled for a cab and headed straight to Jon’s. On her way, she ordered two burgers, as she was thought that comfort food was good in times like these. When the cab stopped at the address, she got out and took a good look at her surroundings. This was a rich people’s neighborhood for sure and everything looked super-fancy. She got past the security by saying that she was here to see Mr. Jon Snow and took the elevator to the top floor. After ringing the doorbell, she waited quietly. Her boss then opened the door and this was the first time she had seen him in casual clothing. After being invited inside, she dropped her bag and hugged her boss. He on the other hand was caught off guard and looked a little surprised as he laughed at the gesture.<br/><br/>“<em>Where did that come from Lyanna?”<br/><br/>“I had read somewhere that hugging someone is the biggest support under such circumstances.”<br/><br/>“Well, in that case you’d need to hug me to death.”<br/><br/></em>She had maybe taken that a little too literally as she tried to hug the man a little harder, only to have him chuckle at the sight. He then led her towards the kitchen and opened his fridge to check out what was in there. He knew about her diet and choice of food but then again wasn’t aware that she had ordered food for the both of them. After checking the fridge, he turned to her and asked if she was hungry and if he could make something for her.<br/><br/>“<em>Don’t bother, I ordered food for the both of us.”<br/><br/></em>At that very moment the doorbell rang and she moved towards the door to pay for the food but was Jon was a step ahead of her. He took care of the bill, left the delivery guy a healthy dose of tip and closed the door.  Lyanna then thanked her boss and warned him that one of those was a vegan burger so he had to be careful with which one was his. Jon just waived her off as he could clearly smell the spicy Dornish cheese sauce and picked the right burger for himself. After a while of eating in silence, Lyanna decided that she needed to take her boss’ mind off of things and although it was very weird for her to do so, she started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>I actually don’t like people at all. You can say that I hate them even. The race, gender, language, religion, all of them, I hate those. That’s why I act more awkward than I normally am. I mean sure, I am socialy awkward and I’m an introvert but the weird behavior is pretty much to shield myself from unnecessary human interaction.”<br/><br/>“That much I figured. I actually wanted to ask you about those tattoos. How many of those do you have?”<br/><br/>“I mean I never counted but there are a lot. Do you want to see all of them? I can show those to you.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I can guess that it’s going to require you taking your pants off and no, I don’t want to see them right now at least. Why though, why so many tattoos?”<br/><br/>“I guess I just like the pain.”<br/><br/></em>The food was done and Jon had brewed some tea for her, while he was sipping his coffee. Her boss was clearly an understanding man about her approach at things but he also was troubled on so many levels. For one he lacked emotional clarity and stability and clearly inside he was a mess, no matter what face he put on. He just smiled at her and then started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>Me and my father, we weren’t on good terms. I mean by not on good terms, up to this day, I wouldn’t have minded if he died but when that happened, it shocked me.”<br/><br/>“You don’t have to tell me about these if you don’t want to.”<br/><br/>“No, I’m comfortable with it now. Besides I dragged you into some serious shit. You knowing something personal about me, doesn’t damage anything at this point.”<br/><br/>“The records right? What about them?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>It’s related to trafficking. We as a company are involved in this mess.”<br/><br/>“So that’s bad?”<br/><br/>“I saw dead people in one of the containers. Dead men, women and children. It was the most horrifying thing I had ever seen.”<br/><br/>“That isn’t your fault though, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I was dragged into this. I saw it all.”<br/><br/>“This doesn’t affect you directly. You maybe shouldn’t dig this any deeper.”<br/><br/>“Isn’t that a little rich coming from you? Aren’t you the one hunting pedophiles on the deep web?”<br/><br/>“That’s a whole different thing. Look boss, this is organized crime and probably your beloved boss is in it as well, whether willingly or not. Anyway, this really isn’t what you should be focused on. You should go to Winterfell first, handle the family business there and I’ll look into this organization while you’re gone.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I’ll think about it. If you’re gonna dig deeper, don’t tell anyone at the office and try staying away from Ramsay’s radar. That man is a sociopath and I don’t want you dealing with him.”<br/><br/>“I’ll keep that in mind. I should get going, it’s getting late.”<br/><br/>“I’ll drop you home. Besides it’ll be a nice change to leave the flat for a short while.”<br/><br/>“I can manage on my own, you don’t need to…”<br/><br/>“No excuses, I’m your boss need I remind you?”<br/><br/></em>After a quick ride, she was home. Jon waited for her to get inside the building and only then he left. What they didn’t know was that Ramsay Bolton was spying on them from a car across the street.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/><em>It was a dark and rainy night and she was shivering at the bottom of a well, with its curb broken. It was cold and all so silent. Dany was holding her daughter and looking for a way out. There were all sorts of insects and spiders around, with some crawling on her. She looked up one more time to see a stray of light coming in. She tried to reach for it but failed, lost her balance and got knocked down to the ground. The mud was all over her as she cried for help but couldn’t make a sound. Rain had filled the well up to her waist, days had gone by but nothing had changed. She had lost her daughter to fear and desparation and was on the verge of dying herself. She heard a wolf howling, saw a white light engulfing all the darkness and a raven haired man looking at her.</em><br/><br/>She woke up screaming from that terrible nightmare. She had been having the same exact nightmare for five years now. Those had started after she had arrived here and she had always thought the face to be Ned’s, especially when she connected the whole thing with the wolf howling. Deciding that it wasn’t the time to dwell on dark thoughts, she checked the time first and noticed her headache once she sat up. She went downstairs to look for painkillers, only to see Ashara and Edmure’s daughter Catelyn sleeping on the couch with Alys right next to them. Trying to be as silent as possible, she walked towards the patio, only to find Lyanna, Davos, Marya, Jorah, Lynesse, Edmure and Roslin talking and laughing about things. Marya immediately gave her something warm to put on and Lyanna told her to sit down with them. They were exchanging stories about Ned and Davos was the one doing the talking.<br/><br/>“<em>So it was this one time, it was early harvest or something; Ned was butchering this wether and making Jon watch. He was dunno seven or eight at that time and was horrified by the scene. He was almost mad at him for being sad at the sight. So he chopped the animal’s balls and put them around his neck. Jon was so horrified at that, he started running around and crying. The lad couldn’t even think of removing those from his neck and boy it was the funniest of sights.”<br/><br/></em>Everyone was laughing at the story and clearly knowing Jon had helped understand it better. For a brief moment Dany felt bad for the innocent child in Jon but then again put the thought away quickly. After a while more and a few more stories, Tormund came from the kitchen and sat down with them. He shared a brief look with Davos and then turned to Lyanna.<br/><br/>“<em>So this priest or whatever, this worshipper of the Seven, came by today and said that they want to hold a feast in Ned’s honor. Apparently he had helped their community for a while and they want to honor him with this now that he’s gone.”<br/><br/>“Oh that’s true. Besides, Ned had actually wanted a feast after he was gone. He wanted all those poor and in need to be fed after him.”<br/><br/>“So I was thinking maybe we open the Moat tomorrow and talk with this priest or septon, whatewer you people call him.”<br/><br/></em>Everyone looked at Dany at that point and it made her a little uncomfortable. Apparently she was to be the decision maker now and she didn’t know what to do. After making eye contact with Jorah and Edmure and nods of approval from those two, she decided to speak.<br/><br/>“<em>Let’s do it then. Let’s open tomorrow and prepare for the feast. We should send word to everyone in need so that they know they’re welcome at the market street tomorrow.”<br/><br/></em>With that, people started leaving one by one. Roslin was to stay with them for the night to help them out if necessary. Lyanna was the first to retire to her room, while Dany went to check on Ashara. She tried to pick her up without waking her but failed. Seeing this, Roslin just told her to go upstairs and picked Ashara. Dany started climbing the stairs and without noticing, she made the exact sound that Ned would make when he arrived late. That damn stair had made the same noise again, which caused Lyanna to look back with the saddest of eyes. Not wanting to make a scene, Dany quickly climbed the rest of the stairs and retired to her room.<br/><br/>Not sleeping much, she was the first one up in the whole mansion so used it to her advantage to draw a little. The silence was soothing but it was soon broken by the noises from the kitchen, as the servants had started the preparations for breakfast. Dany went downstairs to check up on them and told everyone to take it easy. When she got back to her room, Ashara was up and her hair was quite messy already. Immediately picking her up from the floor, she ran to the bed and they started rolling around a little. Dany had missed spending time with her daughter but the circumstances were dire. After a few minutes of tickling and giggling, they noticed that they were maybe a bit too loud, the duo quickly dressed up and went downstairs for breakfast. Lyanna was up by then and was already sipping her coffee. Good mornings were exchanged and breakfast was devoured in no time as people started coming bit by bit. Tormund was the first to arrive with his mom, followed by Davos and Marya. There was even a little surprise as their youngest Shireen was also here. Dany had a soft spot for the little girl, for she was different than the other kids, due to having suffered from grayscale when she was very little. She had brought some drawings with her, which melted Dany’s heart. Davos had commented that Shireen had now become like Dany as she was drawing day and night.<br/><br/>After a little while of planning things out, the chefs headed to the restaurant and Davos was about to leave as he had court today. After standing up and thinking for a brief moment, he sat down again and pulled Dany and Lyanna closer to him.<br/><br/>“<em>I know this may not be the time and place, but the issue of the will needs to be discussed. Ned probably told you about the restaurant but left everything else to Lyanna and then told me that Lyanna could leave everything to Ashara.”<br/><br/></em>Lyanna roared with laughter at that and Dany couldn’t help but chuckle at that. She said that they can discuss this after the feast and they all nodded in agreement. With everything out of the way, she headed to the restaurant to oversee the preparations of a very busy but cheerful day.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Swimming always helped him clear his mind.<br/><br/>After maybe forty laps, he decided to take a breather and took his phone. It was a decent enough time to make a call so he first started with Margaery. The young woman picked up the call immediately with the most cheerful tone possible.<br/><br/>“<em>Morning boss, what can I do for you?”<br/><br/>“Morning Marge, there are few things I want from you so better take notes.”<br/><br/>“Yes boss, fire away.”<br/><br/>“I’m heading to Winterfell with the 12 pm flight and will be gone for a few days. Send me the White Harbor documents immediately. Wait for further instructions about that issue. Meanwhile no arguments or contact with Baelish, understood?”<br/><br/>“Sure boss. Anything else?”<br/><br/>“What are the others up to?”<br/><br/>“They’re working, nothing much.”<br/><br/>“Good, keep it up. I’ll mail you every now and then to check up on the situation.”<br/><br/>“Alright.”<br/><br/>“And Marge…”<br/><br/>“Yes boss?”<br/><br/>“Rent me a more presentable car this time, not a toy.”<br/><br/>“Understood boss, have a safe trip!”<br/><br/></em>With that done, he decided to go a few more laps to blow off more steam. Once he was tired enough, he left the pool and headed to the locker room. After showering and putting on his clothes, he sat down for a brief moment to gather his thoughts. His phone started ringing again and he looked at it with disgust on his face. It was Oberyn Martell calling so after a few rings, he picked up the phone.<br/><br/>“<em>How are you feeling son?”<br/><br/>“Uhm, good I guess. I’m leaving for Winterfell in a few hours.”<br/><br/>“That’s good, go do what you must. We’ve been hard on you for the last few months.”<br/><br/>“Is that why you cut me off at my knees?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>We’ll speak about that when you get back. I have other plans.”<br/><br/>“Well I have plans too. When I get back, we’re going to have a serious conversation. I’m going to make you an offer that you can’t refuse.”<br/><br/></em>Oberyn laughed at that and ended the conversation after wishing him a safe trip. Jon looked at the phone one more time and muttered with hatred.<br/><br/>“<em>Son of a bitch.”<br/><br/></em>The ride to the airport and the flight itself were uneventful. Jon landed in Winterfell on time, took his belongings, took his suitcase and headed for the car rental service. Luckily, this time Marge had picked the most presentable car available for him. He hopped into the gray sports car with white strips on it and started driving towards the mansion. He saw people going towards the market street on foot and there was more traffic than usual. Once he made the turn towards the mansion however, the way was a little clearer. Checking out the surroundings, he noticed that there were preparations at the market street for some kind of event. There were long tables being put together and people were working at full speed. Jon thought it had to be some special day or something and paid the whole thing little mind. After the crossroad, he hit the gas and arrived at the mansion within minutes. He was again greeted by Jory at the gate and he then saw his aunt getting out from the house, after hearing the car’s noise. Her look of anger and sadness immediately changed to one of happiness and joy after seeing him as he took big steps towards her, not being able to contain his smile. He hugged his aunt dearly and was once again greeted at the door by the little girl from last time. Making it a habit, he picked up the little girl from the floor to his lap and patted her head while the girl just hugged him dearly.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>The preparations were at full speed.<br/><br/>The air of excitement was back at the Moat as Tormund was breathing fire in the kitchens while Jorah and Edmure weren’t holding back anything. Meal after meal was being produced from the kitchens as Edd and the rest of the waiters were carrying them out to the carts, which were to deliver the food to the long tables set up at the market street. Dany had the biggest of smiles on her face as she couldn’t contain the excitement within herself. This was going to be a grand feast, honoring one of the best people who had lived on the face of the planet. After checking the kitchens once more, she stepped outside to see the septon, in an argument with one of the workers who praised the Old Gods to him. Not being able to contain her laughter, Dany went to the septon to calm him down and let the worker know that although Ned kept the Old Gods, he was friendly towards the people who followed the Seven and nobody would disrespect anyone just because of their faith on this fine day. Agreeing that furthering the argument would only disrespect Ned’s memory, everyone went on with their business and things were on fast track once again. <br/><br/>The tables were set up and people were pouring in from all directions. It was truly going to be a big feast and Dany was really hoping that this event would put big smiles on faces, especially the ones who were in need. She then took a step back to oversee the preparations from a wider angle, as food kept on coming out from the restaurant and was rolled via the carts to the street. This was going to be a fine day. She then saw Tormund, Jorah and Edmure stepping outside the restaurant, all with smiles on their faces. Getting back to work surely had helped all of them as they exchanged looks. Tormund then moved closer to Dany to inform her about what would be done next.<br/><br/>“<em>So we’re thinking that the cakes and all the other desserts will wait at the restaurant as the feast goes on, only to be brought later. Unfortunately we cannot serve drinks since this is somewhat a religious event but I saved you some anyway. Just let me know when you need some so you don’t need to sneak into the restaurant every time you need something.”<br/><br/>“That’s good. I guess if people want to go for drinks, they can do that afterwards. This is after all about feeding the ones in need. Entertainment comes afterwards. Shall I maybe go get Lyanna now or do we wait for a while more?”<br/><br/>“Näh I think you can go and get her, the whole thing is set to start within half an hour to forty-five minutes anyway. We got this covered, go pick her up so she can be here when people arrive at full speed.”<br/><br/></em>With that, she signaled to Rodrik that they were to head to the mansion to pick Lyanna up. After a quick drive, they had arrived at the mansion, only to find a very luxurious sports car pulled up front. People refrained from such luxury in the North, that much she knew and wondered who had come to visit. After entering from the main gate and making her way up to the house, Dany found her daughter on Jon’s lap as she was hugging the young man with loving eyes, while Lyanna was looking at the two with awe. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>With this chapter, the introduction part of the story is now complete. From now on things will start getting more complicated for our characters as the plot will thicken on many levels.</p>
<p>This was relatively easier than the last chapter in terms of bringing together but still, took a lot out of me. I will be moving to a new apartment next week so I cannot promise a new chapter within a week, but still will do my best. At least the outlines are ready for a few more chapters and I hope to be able to find the time to actually sit down and write.</p>
<p>I hope this chapter was satisfying enough for those who read. I once again thank all of you who read, give kudos and comment on the chapters. It brings me joy to see heartfelt comments and motivates me to write more.</p>
<p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Outsider</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In Winterfell, the feast honoring Ned Stark takes place. Confrontations happen between different sides and Jon gets to know a little bit more about Dany.</p><p>In King's Landing, Ramsay faces humiliation while big dogs come to play.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again! Despite having need to move a lot of stuff from one place to another and settling in, I give you the longest chapter to this date. Now keep in mind that this wasn't read through for a second or third time so there might be mistakes. Point them out if you see any and I'll fix them!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She didn’t know how to feel about that sight.<br/><br/>Normally she was fiercely protective of Ashara as any mother would be, but then again her daughter hadn’t even looked at Ned like that while he lived. Then again Lyanna was there and she had shielded her and her daughter for years and hadn’t given Dany a reason to doubt her for once. The sight made her blood boil, but she had to remain calm at the same time. She still didn’t know the single thing about Jon and therefore couldn’t trust him with anything. Dark thoughts clouded her mind as she started remembering the events of the funeral. All the pain rushed through her once more and she pinched herself to keep her composure. Then what Lyanna said came back to her.<br/><br/><em>“The ones who haven’t joined us will neither be forgotten, nor forgiven.”<br/><br/></em>Right.<br/><br/>Remembering that, made the dragon within her hatch. She rushed to the pattio and immediately took Ashara from Jon’s lap. The young man looked at him with intent, with a hint of anger perhaps, but his tone was soothing.<br/><br/>“<em>That was a little harsh don’t you think?”<br/><br/></em>She didn’t want anything to do with the man at that point so she just glared at him. Ashara was giving her a questioning look and at that point Dany realized she was the center of tension within everyone. Jon was calm, Lyanna was serene, at least until she had arrived and she just didn’t know how to feel about the whole thing. She calmly turned to her daughter and smiled.<br/><br/>“<em>Ashara, go inside and find Beth. You should have been ready by now. Come on.”<br/><br/></em>This time it was Jon who looked puzzled.<br/><br/>“<em>Ashara?”<br/><br/></em>Without saying a word, Dany followed her daughter indoors but kept a close distance to the door to be able to hear what was being spoken. She noticed Beth taking Ashara upstairs and that gave her the chance to stay close to observe the conversation. Jon had finally arrived but what was his motivation, she couldn’t tell. His tone wasn’t rough towards her but then again Dany knew that probably he wanted nothing to do with her. He was after all the legal heir and could pretty much kick anyone out from the mansion, or the restaurant. The thought scared the shit out of her, but then again she knew that neither Lyanna, nor the others would let such thing happen. The pain from Ned’s death had resurfaced again but this time it was different. The fear of getting caught, wanting to run away from everything and desperation had kicked in. She was brought back to reality by Lyanna’s sobs as she watched Jon holding his aunt and trying to comfort her. She didn’t want to interfere the moment they were having but then again they needed to get back to the market street and they needed to do it soon.<br/><br/>She went outside, handled a few things there and headed back indoors. She always looked at Lyanna during her movements, trying to get her attention to remind her about the feast. All the old woman could see was her nephew, as she was looking at him like he was the only thing that mattered in this world. For once Dany paid more attention to Jon and noticed the striking resemblence to his father. He was very well built, had great hair and when he smiled he was really charming. From all she had heard, Dany thought that this man loved nothing or nobody but when she looked into his eyes, she saw love. The man clearly held love for his aunt as he was holding her hands while she was mumbling nonsense to him. After going in and out once more, Dany decided that she had no choice but to interrupt this family time, as they really needed to get going. Noticing that Ashara was ready to go as well, she walked towards Jon and Lyanna and cleared her throat.<br/><br/>“<em>We need to get going Lyanna, otherwise we’re gonna be late.”<br/><br/>“Oh crap, the feast! I totally forgot! Well, do I look presentable enough?”<br/><br/>“Yes, you look just fine. Shall we?”<br/><br/></em>Just when Lyanna stood up from her seat, she noticed Jon hadn’t moved at all. Lyanna had also noticed that and had turned to her nephew but it was Jon who spoke first.<br/><br/>“<em>What feast, what’s happening?”<br/><br/>“We’re holding a feast, honoring your father’s legacy. Come now, you should be there as well, it’ll be good for people to see that you’re back.”<br/><br/>“Näh, I’ll pass.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean you’ll pass? You are Ned Stark’s son and it’s important not just for you, but also for everyone else to remember that. You will at least have the decency to show up.”<br/><br/>“Fine fine, I’ll come by but I have to handle a few things first.”<br/><br/>“In that case, you know where to find us.”<br/><br/>“Aye, you two get going then, I’ll come join you later.”<br/><br/></em>It was getting more and more difficult for Dany to put her finger on things. Was he really here to take over everything or was he here to destroy things? Or maybe he wanted nothing to do with this place since he already had a life built far away from where they were. Either way, she knew that she needed to be cautious with Jon around and at least be in control of things until he left. Once Ashara joined them at the patio, she first smiled at her daughter and then turned to Lyanna. Lyanna responded with a gesture and they all started walking towards the car, while Jon hadn’t left his seat. She noticed Ashara locking eyes with Jon, as the young man was looking at her daughter lovingly. He smiled and waved to her, irritating Dany more than anything. That little gesture had driven her insane and fueled the feeling that Jon was here to take over everything. The mansion, the restaurant and her daughter…<br/><br/>Once they got into the car, she noticed that Lyanna couldn’t contain her excitement. She was glowing and clearly was overwhelmed about Jon showing up. Dany didn’t want to shit on the old woman’s mood but clearly wasn’t as enthusiastic. She hoped for a ride in peaceful silence and afterwards wanted to get lost in work so that she wouldn’t be consumed by Jon’s presence. Lyanna had convinced him to show up before they had left the mansion and that fact triggered the insecurity in her once more. He would then come to the feast, take over the whole thing and maybe he would go as far as shitting on Ned’s legacy. The idea of it horrified her, especially when she remembered how the people had reacted to his presence in the restaurant. Tormund, Jorah and Edmure all liked him a lot and even Barbrey was insanely warm towards him. He maybe didn’t like being here but that didn’t change the fact that he belonged. She on the other hand, loved it in here but maybe she was the one that didn’t belong. Just when all these thought were taking over her, Lyanna broke the silence.<br/><br/>“<em>Jon is finally back. We will be a family once again.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>The last time he was alone at this mansion was fifteen years ago.<br/><br/>His last visit, which was barely a week ago, hadn’t given him the chance to explore the mansion. He knew what was indoors more or less and that didn’t interest him one bit. He inspected his whereabouts, only to notice Jory looking at him with intent, but still keeping his distance. Jory, like his uncle Rodrik, had worked at the mansion all his life, while his niece Beth also attended to house duties. Jon smiled at Jory and invited him to the patio. He moved towards Jon but still didn’t take a seat. Instead he looked like he was awaiting orders and was looking at Jon like he was his commanding officer. Jon huffed to himself, once again despised this hierarchy and again smiled back at Jory.<br/><br/>“<em>What is it Jory? How can I help you?”<br/><br/>“Actually sir, I was wondering how I could be of help. Do you want me to take your belongings upstairs or will you be actually staying here?”<br/><br/>“Yes I’ll be staying here but no need to call me sir. Please, I’ve been Jon to you all my life and I’m still Jon.”<br/><br/>“You may not like it sir, but you are the head of the family now. It would be inappropriate for me to call you by your name. We cannot be on a first name basis anymore.”<br/><br/>“Pff, fucking Northern customs… Alright then, whatever you say. Do take my belongings upstairs but I will not be taking my own room. I’d rather use one of the guest rooms.”<br/><br/>“Uhm actually sir, you cannot use your old room anyway. It was given to Miss Storm by Mr. Stark.”<br/><br/>“Miss Storm?”<br/><br/>“Dany.”<br/><br/>“Ah, that figures. Well whatever, make sure that my stuff goes to one of the guest rooms anyway. I’ll visit the Godswood and then will leave for the feast.”<br/><br/>“Yes sir. Will you be needing a ride?”<br/><br/>“No Jory, thank you. I’ll take my own car.”<br/><br/></em>The man bowed at him and then went back to his post. Jon hated the feeling that he was anyone’s superior in this mansion, but then again this was what Ned wanted all his life. Jon to take over, treat everyone the way he treated them and become him in the end. He had despised his father all his life for those wishes and had rebuffed him at every possible turn. He was friendly with the servants, nice and kind towards workers like Jory, while Ned would straight out bark orders and would never look satisfied with the work done. These thoughts and memories accompanied him on his short walk towards the Godswood, as his fathers words from decades ago, rang in his ears once more.<br/><br/>“<em>Everyone should know their place. You cannot be friends with the driver, or the housekeeper.  You are Jon Stark. You are the heir to everything your eyes can see. You should command respect and fear. Be soft towards them like you are now and they will step all over you.”<br/><br/></em>It wasn’t like he was here to take over everything. He wanted nothing to do with this land, this mansion or the restaurant even. He knew that he needed to discuss with Davos about what belonged to whom now, but that was for later times. He decided that he’d at least spend a few days here, make sure his aunt is okay and everything was in order. From what he had observed, everything was in order and things were working out just fine. Still this Dany woman had intrigued him a lot, his aunt hadn’t given him much about her and clearly Jon needed to find out more about this woman. He didn’t care about his father’s legacy one bit and knew in his hear that he wouldn’t mind it one bit if it all burned. While lost in those thoughts, his feet had led him through the Godswood and he was finally where the bodies were buried. He took one look at the tombstones and just chuckled to himself. He knew that he didn’t want to be buried here at all and he was going to be the one to break tradition when it came to that. His eyes then locked on his mother’s tombstone, whom he never got to know. The tombstone was beautifully carved and it read something different from the rest.<br/><br/>“<em>Her name is now written on water.”<br/><br/></em>That one sentence always broke his heart, his father had never explained to him what that meant but with time he had figured out that you couldn’t write on water and even if you did, it would just vanish. When he had figured that out, he knew that his mother was gone forever. Pushing the thought away from his mind, he then walked over to his father’s grave, where the great Ned Stark was finally put to rest. He briefly smiled as happy memories of his childhood flashed in front of his eyes but those were quickly scrapped by the frightening times that he had suffered. Anger started rising within and he could feel his blood boiling. He stood up straight and stared at the tombstone coldly. His hands were balled into fists and all he wanted to do was shout.<br/><br/><em>“I am here now. The one who murdered the love of your life is finally here. What a happy family we are, aren’t we? The three of us are finally together. This will be short lived though, because I will burn your legacy to the ground. This mansion, that fucking restaurant, everything you materialized while I lived, will be torn apart. Dead and buried, just like you and I will make sure of it. All that anger you took out on me, from a motherless child who didn’t know what parental love was… That anger will come back to haunt you. The GREAT Ned Stark eh? Look at how great you are right now. When everything you built starts burning, only then I will breathe freely Ned the Butcher. You are gone now and your legacy won’t live that long to see better times, I assure you right here, right now.”<br/><br/></em>The fury within him was tiring enough. Jon felt the sadness taking over as his knees buckled. He fell to his knees first, but then positioned himself in between his parents’ graves. He lay down to feel the weak sun wash over him, as tears left his eyes freely. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and lost track of time. He then opened his eyes once again, only to find a little white pup with red eyes, staring at him. He extended his hand and the pup sniffed him and then allowed Jon to pat him. The little pup was so quiet, no barking, no whining and he had approached him without making a sound. The pup was looking at him like something he wanted to protect and hadn’t moved even when Jon stood up. Once he started walking away from the tombstones and towards the Godswood, he noticed the pup following him. He turned back and kneeled in front of the pup and extended his hand once more. This time he found the pup’s paw in his hands and that made him start laughing.<br/><br/>“<em>Alright then, we’ll join forces little one. Seems like you are my father’s ghost watching over me… Hopefully you aren’t as abusive as he was though… Mm, Ghost will be a proper name for you in this case.”<br/><br/></em>He picked the pup from the ground and started making his way towards the house once again. He still had a feast to attend, even though he didn’t really wanted to but it was his duty. He signaled to Jory to come and take care of the pup, have him fed and placed into one of the huts that he had built when he was a child. Jory immediately obliged at the request and took care of Ghost, while he made his way towards his car. The market street wasn’t far away so it wasn’t going to take him only a few minutes to get there. He started the car and slowly made his way towards the restaurant, hopefully for one of the last times.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>He was sure that Snow was in on it.<br/><br/>Ramsay barged into the area where Snow and his team were located. Margaery and Sam were in their natural positions, while this Mormont girl was nowhere to be found. He just greeted both of them with a curt nod and took a look around. Sam was the scared one, so he would crack first, right after a show of strength. This Margaery however, wouldn’t budge and the only way to get something out of her would be physical torture. Well, if it came to that, he was okay with doing it. He took a seat next to Sam and immediately took the photo on his desk. It was him, his wife Gilly and their child little Sam. This gesture had clearly made him uncomfortable as Ramsay smiled at the slightly overweight man and initiated the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>How is everything Sam? How is your family? I hope all is well.”<br/><br/>“Yes yes, all is well, nothing to worry about. How can I help you Mr. Bolton?”<br/><br/></em>So Snow’s team was strictly about business and they were clearly acting on orders. He again looked around and this time turned to Margaery.<br/><br/>“<em>Where is the new intern?”<br/><br/>“Oh Mormont? She had just left for the bathroom before you came. I can go fetch her if you want.”<br/><br/>“No need, I’ll wait.”<br/><br/></em></p><p>But he wasn’t going to. He then seated himself at Mormont’s desk, turned on the screen and entered his administrative password, only for it to be rebuffed. He tried again and again to no avail. He looked around the office area once more to notice that nobody was looking at him but instead they were minding their own business. Then the Mormont girl entered the office area and looked at him as he was trying the password once more. Without an expression on her face, she pulled the keyboard towards herself and typed 1234 for the screen to unlock. That had pissed him off but also had entertained him at the same time. He gestured for the young woman to sit down, which she did. He looked through the computer, checked for a few things and without making eye contact, told Mormont that this was a regular thing that happened every three months. There was no response from the younger woman, as she was sitting there without making a sound. That pissed him off, as he felt like he was being toyed with. He turned towards Mormont and looked at her in the eye and the young woman didn’t flinch. His insides were raging but he had to keep his composure as he couldn’t make a scene now here in the company borders. Instead, he looked for the more diplomatic solution.<br/><br/>“<em>Was it you who did it?”<br/><br/></em>There was still no response. Her expression hadn’t changed at all either and that had really pissed him off. When Sam and Margaery had tried to interfere by saying that she wouldn’t respond, he roared towards them to tell them to mind their own business. Just as he again locked eyes with Mormont, his phone started ringing. He had to get that, as it was Oberyn Martell.<br/><br/>“<em>We need to discuss the harbor issue. My office. Now.”<br/><br/></em>That was clear, therefore he had to leave. He stood up and watched Mormont take her seat back and start the trackers for her analysis reports. He waved his finger at her and told her that they weren’t done. He had forced himself to keep on smiling, but once he had left the office area, that expression was replaced with anger and rage.<br/><em><br/></em>***<br/><br/>The crowd was so big that Tormund, Jorah and Edmure had to go back to the kitchens.<br/><br/>Food had been prepared for hundreds of people and more than a thousand people had showed up. That was going to make their job a little harder but the three chefs were happy to go back to the kitchens. Especially Tormund was beaming with joy for one that had given him the opportunity to go back to the kitchen and for the second, he wasn’t going to feel comfortable interacting with all these people anyway. People were swarming around the tables that were set up, as they had first started with the homeless, the little children and so on. Lyanna was dealing mainly with the people who had come to pay their respects and offer condolences, while it was up to her and Davos to organize the tables and arrange the seating so that the people who were in the most need would go first. After a bunch of more seats being filled, she saw Alys approaching and immediately her mood darkened. Alys was supposed to watch over Ashara during the preparations and something must had gone wrong.<br/><br/>“<em>What is it dear, what’s wrong?”<br/><br/>“Ashara isn’t eating.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean she isn’t eating? Why is that?”<br/><br/>“Dunno, but she refused to eat and I didn’t know what to do with that. Usually her appetite is you know…”<br/><br/>“Yeah she attacks the food normally. Alright, let me come and check on her then.”<br/></em><br/>She had been feeling guilty about this whole situation, especially because she hadn’t been able to attend to her daughter to her liking since the day that Jon had showed up for the first time. The tension had been so high for a few days after that, and then Ned had died. Everything had collapsed on her and her environment and it had all started after Jon showing up. Gods she wished he had never entered their lives like this, because maybe Ned wouldn’t have died if it wasn’t for him. Suddenly she hated herself for obsessing on a matter like this and forgetting about her daughter instantly. She had to take care of Ashara and she had to do it now. She immediately rushed to her side and gave her a questioning, but a cute look.<br/><br/>“<em>I was told that you refused the food? You love these though, don’t you?”<br/><br/>“I’m not hungry.”<br/><br/>“Ash, you know that you need to eat. What happens when we don’t eat properly?”<br/><br/>“We get sick, but I just don’t want any. I’m not hungry.”<br/><br/></em>At that moment she knew that she was going to need to force the little girl to eat and she had to do it away from the crowd so she just pulled on the little girl’s arm to take her away. The reaction however, was horrifying, as Ashara shouted at her for the first time in six years.<br/><br/>“<em>I SAID I’M NOT HUNGRY!” </em><br/><br/>Dany had to try real hard from breaking down in front of a thousand people or more. She had to keep her composure so she again signalled at Alys about taking care of her daughter, to which the young woman obliged. Davos gave her a questioning look, but she waived him off and told him later. She threw herself back at organizing tables, taking care of the little children and keeping herself busy. She knew she couldn’t cry now, although she just wanted to do that so badly. After a few interactions, she regained her composure and was back to her confident self. Her smile returned to her face, although she was sure that the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She rushed from table to table, attended the elderly, the children, family and friends and lost herself in the action.<br/><br/>The whole time she was feeling like she was being watched and soon after she understood where the feeling had come from. A figure had started approaching from afar and the crowd had started splitting into two as he moved closer and closer. All the heads had turned that way now and Dany couldn’t help but stare at the sight as well. Jon was calmly walking towards the tables, greeting people, smiling at them, shaking hands with some of the adults and high-fiving younglings. Everyone was looking at Ned Stark’s son with awe, in the exact same way that they looked at her once. He was taking over the domain, owning everything just with his presence and that had become really disturbing. Once he was close enough to her, he just nodded at her but she just rolled her eyes and looked away. Davos on the other hand engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug, telling him how happy he was to see him. Jon just smiled, clasped the shoulder of the older man and kept on walking towards the family table. It hit her at that moment that he needed to sit with this asshole and needed to pretend that she was content with him being around.<br/><br/>Despite the growing distance between them, she noticed Jon’s eyes were on her the whole time. He was looking at her while greeting family members, holding Lyanna’s hands, talking with the people who mattered to the family and so on. Davos had immediately moved towards the family table to clear the area and he had done so by telling people to come by later. Within that chaos, Ashara had found Jon again and again she was on his lap. That sight drove her insane once more, but she knew she couldn’t make another scene with her daughter at that point. Luckily the first part of the serving was over and that meant the chefs would take a break before going back to the kitchens. She saw Tormund, Jorah and Edmure moving towards the table. Without noticing her staring at them, all three headed to Jon straightaway to greet him. That bastard had taken over the whole thing, just like she thought he would. She quickly moved to the family table and took a seat, while secretly checking out what was happening nearby. Jon had then left Ashara and this time Shireen was on his lap. People were acting like he was the second coming of Ned Stark and suddenly everyone was at his tail. Her eyes looked for Alys and quickly found her, but the silent question was answered negatively. She huffed to herself and didn’t know what to do with the whole situation.<br/><br/>After a few bites of food, she was clearly feeling much better though. While trying to get Ashara to eat, Dany also realized that her appetite had suffered from the stress as well. She devoured the tapas plate in front of her and checked her surroundings again. This time Tormund was at Jon’s head, insisting that he came with them back to the kitchens. That made Dany curious as she leaned towards the conversation to hear it a little better.<br/><br/>“<em>I fucking need help. There are more than a thousand people here. We’re short-staffed.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I can’t Tormund, plus it wouldn’t be appropriate. It’s never been my kitchen.”<br/><br/>“You can and you will. We need you back in there now.”<br/><br/>“Can’t you get one of the newbies to come join?”<br/><br/>“I could but I won’t. In any case I cannot trust them with these meals yet. Come on now, up on your feet.”<br/><br/></em>She saw Jon hesitate as Tormund insisted but reluctantly rose to his feet and followed him to the restaurant. Davos was mumbling something with joy while she could see how proud Lyanna was at the sight. Suddenly a round of cheers and applause started as people cheered on Jon, walking towards the restaurant. It was like as if everyone had been waiting for this day to come. She followed Jon and the chefs to the restaurant but kept her distance. Tormund led Jon straight to the kitchen and behind the counter. Jon took at Ned’s chef knife and mezzaluna hanging by the wall and just huffed to himself and turned to Tormund, expecting a knife from the counter. Instead, Tormund pointed at the mezzaluna and told him to take it.<br/><br/>“<em>I can’t. That doesn’t belong to me.”<br/><br/>“Well you should. It needs an owner today.”<br/><br/>“Tormund no… I just can’t. It’s inappropriate and you know that.”<br/><br/>“Today it isn’t. In any case, if you won’t do it today, when will you?”<br/><br/></em>That final comment had clearly struck a nerve as Jon reached for the mezzaluna and took it from where it was hanging. Her heart broke at the sight but she kept silent. A big slab of meet was slapped right in front of Jon as he started working the meat. His movements were almost identical to Ned’s, as he didn’t look like he was putting so much effort into what he was doing, but was rather handling it with grace. That had tipped her off finally and she rushed towards the counter and questioned what was taking place. She didn’t mean to attack Jon but when she opened her mouth, it did sound like an attack.<br/><br/>“<em>Put that away, it’s not yours. What do you know about cooking anyway?”<br/><br/></em>Jon just looked at her, smiled but said nothing as he kept working the meat, then took the chef-knife from the wall as well and started chopping some onions and parsley. Everything was triggering her and Tormund grinning like an idiot wasn’t helping things.<br/><br/>“<em>He was already a better chef than his father when he was a baby crow. Just look at how casually he does this.”<br/><br/></em>She had to give it to Tormund because he was right. Jon worked big piles of meat with grace, almost without any effort. He then mixed the vegetables with the meat and pounded on those a little more with the mezzaluna. Then he carefully placed the mixture onto a tray like Ned would and spreaded it thin, making it ready for the oven. This process was repeated a few more times and once the pile of meat in front of him was done with, he said to Tormund that he was finished. Satisfied with the result, Tormund grinned and called Jorah to take care of the baking process, as Jon quietly and slowly went past by her and headed to the table.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>They needed a break and they needed it soon.<br/><br/>When Jon wasn’t around, Marge would attend to his daily duties when necessary. They hadn’t heard anything from him at all so she guessed everything was rather fine. She signaled at Sam and Lyanna to follow her to the roof. Sam bummed a cigarette from her and she offered Lyanna one but the young woman politely declined. Marge had noticed small changes with Lyanna’s attitude as she had become more social and talkative towards them, especially after Jon’s father had died. Jon’s absence wasn’t something they could tolerate here, especially considering that Ramsay was unleashed on them and she hated the man with every fiber of her being.<br/><br/>“<em>So no word from Jon today and that’s weird. He had said that he would call to check on us every day but… Has he contacted either of you?”<br/><br/></em>Lyanna was the first one to respond with a no to her surprise. Then again maybe the young woman had noticed that they were all under the gun and her actions had more than something to do with it. Still, Marge wasn’t angry at Lyanna for that, as she was just following orders. She tried to figure out what had gone wrong with Jon for him to start digging deep into this shit. She was worried for her boss and wanted to be there for him. Gathering her thoughts, she started discussing her plan with her co-workers.<br/><br/>“<em>So I’m thinking, maybe we should all go to Winterfell on the weekend. We could surprise Jon and it will be a morale-boost for him for sure. He doesn’t like it all that much in there and I’m thinking we can have a positive effect on that. What do you guys think?”<br/><br/></em>Sam was the first one to respond this time.<br/><br/>“<em>I think we shouldn’t disturb him you know. I thought what you said yesterday carefully and yes, he’s a very private person so we should let him be.”<br/><br/></em>Mormont on the other hand had other ideas.<br/><br/>“<em>I think we could go.”<br/><br/></em>She gave them both a surprising look as Sam had already started mumbling about the Northern cuisine and clearly he was more than in for the trip. They agreed on taking the trip on Saturday morning and surprising Jon on the weekend. Her suggestion of charging everything on Jon’s company card was met with laughter and approval from both Sam and Lyanna and with that they headed to the office. Just when she sat down, her office phone rang and it was Oberyn Martell’s personal assistant.<br/><br/>“<em>Hi Marge. Mr. Martell requests the data analysis and the contract for the White Harbor deal. Could you please bring them to the office within the hour? Mr. Martell wants them ready to be signed.”<br/><br/></em>She quickly grabbed the folders and headed upstairs. Passing the assistant’s desk with a wink, she then knocked on the door and was invited in immediately. Arianne and Baelish were also in there, as Baelish was trying to explain the situation with Mance Rayder. The man disgusted Marge but she kept her cool as they exchanged looks with Ari. Ari smiled at her and then turned to her father.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m telling you dad, if you send this slimey snake to White Harbor, Mance Rayder will bury him to the ground.”<br/><br/>“Ms. Martell, isn’t that a bit disrespectful? I mean this isn’t a family talk, we’re at a company meeting.”<br/><br/>“For us it is the same thing Petyr and I think you should know your place.”<br/><br/></em>Marge watched the room silently as she waited until the moment that it would be her turn to present the folders and the documents. Ari was clearly enjoying the shitting on Baelish part, while Mr. Martell had a neutral expression on his face. Ari then turned to her father once again and continued.<br/><br/>“<em>I think we should be out of all this harbor business. It’s insanely tiring, takes lots of effort, we need to hire and pay lots of workers and it brings us nothing in return. I mean I would leave if it were up to me.”<br/><br/></em>Mr. Martell didn’t waste a second as he took command of the situation right away.<br/><br/>“<em>Good that it’s not up to you then. Plus, do you think it’s really easy to get out of these long-term deals we’ve made? You can go and see for yourself though, Ramsay is heading to the harbor soon.”<br/><br/>“I wouldn’t go to Blackwater Harbor, not even if you drained it in detergant.”<br/><br/></em>The brief silence meant that all eyes were turned to her as Oberyn requested the folder. She carefully placed them on his desk and took a step back. Oberyn scrolled through the files and put his signature on where it was needed. Before handing the folder back to her, his eyes almost went blank for a second, but he quickly gathered himself back.<br/><br/>“<em>So how is Jon doing?”<br/><br/>“We haven’t heard from sir. He only called me early yesterday morning about him leaving and that was that.”<br/><br/>“Be sure to call and check on him daily. Actually Ari, why don’t you go to Winterfell to do that? Besides, you can then drop by White Harbor to take care of these contracts with Mr. Rayder.”<br/><br/></em>Ari looked clearly puzzled by that and tried to save the situation.<br/><br/>“<em>I thought Jon was handling all that?”<br/><br/>“No, I pulled Jon from those operations, remember? Since you said your acting CEO would be incompetent, why don’t you go and finish the job? Plus, Jon’s father just died so someone should be there to support him and I can’t think of anyone better than you.”<br/><br/></em>The folder was handed back to her as she bowed and started leaving. She heard Ari’s footsteps following hers and the last thing she was able to catch was Baelish’s sick grin, as he clearly enjoyed what had taken place.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/><em>(4 Days Ago)<br/><br/></em>Beric took a long look at the crowd of workers that had gathered in front of him. Then he turned his attention to the barrel standing next to him, which was filled with cash. There were murmurs coming from the crowd and he needed to address the situation. Mr. Snow was going to help them, that much was for sure, but he and the rest of the workers also needed to resist those compradores. Alone they meant nothing, but united, they had at least some chance. He took one more good look at the crowd, cleared his throat and opened the lid of the barrel.<br/><br/><em>“This here, is the cash they have been feeding us to keep quiet.There is seven years worth of operation money here. Now I’m not gonna lie, I paid for my mother’s surgery from within this pile but didn’t touch it afterwards. If you say it’s ours, this money will be divided within all of us here. If you want this gone, I’ll just burn it right here, right now. I want to know, whether you are with me or not.”<br/><br/></em>The murmurs had stopped and now there were fifty pairs of eyes staring at him. Thoros was nodding in approval, while there were ayes starting from the crowd. This one guy however, the one named Anguy, stepped forward with his cigarette still in his mouth. He asked for the gasoline that Beric was holding and started pouring it on the pile of cash. There were satisfied murmurs from the crowd as Anguy nodded in approval and then spoke.<br/><br/>“<em>We’re with you Beric, till the end. None of us want to do the dirty work of these bastards anymore. These compradores won’t take shit from us.”<br/><br/></em>With that, he just pulled a match from his pocket, lit it and threw it on the pile of cash. Satisfied cheers started to rise from the crowd as the cash burned, but quickly turned into panic as Anguy’s foot caught fire as well. He immediately cried for help and was rushed by the rest of the workers, who started rolling him on the floor and hitting him with their vests to put out the fire. Beric couldn’t hold his laughter at the sight and soon after, he was joined by the rest of the workers, who roared with laughter.<br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>After lowering the final container, Beric’s shift was done. He signed his time card, lit a cigarette, shook hands with the quality manager and moved towards the cafeteria, only to see Ramsay Bolton staring at him, with his lapdog a few steps behind. He knew that this was coming sooner or later, so he walked towards the asshole and greeted him as politely as possible. Ramsay insisted that he was just here to talk, so Beric led him towards the hangar and took a seat. Ramsay had his sick grin on his face and Beric knew this too well to figure out that something disturbing was on the horizon. Ramsay didn’t waste much time as he initiated the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>We’ll be back on track next week. New deliveries will arrive.”<br/><br/>“Is that so? Just tell us what to do in that case. I think we all know the drill by now.”<br/><br/>“I bet you do. Now tell me about the container.”<br/><br/>“Again? How many times do you want me to walk you through that?”<br/><br/>“Play this smart Beric. Walk me through that once again, from the top.”<br/><br/>“You know the drill. The containers came, I lowered the container and then your guys deleted it from the system. Then the trucks came and the driver took a look at the stuff and left. I don’t know about the rest, since my shift had ended and I left right after.”<br/><br/>“Walk me through once more. From the top.”<br/><br/>“ENOUGH.”<br/><br/></em>With that he rose from his seat, but Ramsay’s lapdog called Locke had also made a move towards him. Beric caught the man’s hand and smashed it to the table and then broke a couple of his fingers with a slick move. Ramsay hadn’t moved and his sick grin was still in place. Making sure this Locke wouldn’t be able to interfere again; he turned to Ramsay and roared.<br/><br/>“<em>I have no fucking idea about your container, okay? I don’t get the obsession about it either.What the fuck was in that if it was so important?”<br/><br/></em>That had triggered Ramsay as he rose from his seat and grabbed Beric by the throat and started shouting.<br/><br/>“<em>I will fuck you up, do you hear me? I will fuck you, your family, your everything… ALL OF IT. YOU WILL GIVE ME THAT CONTAINER YOU SON OF A BITCH.”<br/><br/>“What if I don’t?”<br/><br/></em>At that point the doors of the hangar broke open as Thoros and Anguy rushed inside. Ramsay left Beric and took his gun out and pointed it at Thoros and Anguy. He told them to back off but they weren’t having it. He once again asked where the container was to no avail, as nobody responded to him. He pointed the gun again at him and then turned it towards Thoros and Anguy. At that very moment, the hangar started being flooded by the workers carrying baseball bats and a few other weapons. They surrounded Ramsay and Beric looked at him with a satisfied smile on his face. Ramsay then lowered the gun and Beric moved to take it from his hands. The younger man wasn’t showing much but Beric could clearly feel him trembling. That boosted his confidence as he landed a thunderous slap on Ramsay’s face, which triggered the rest of the workers as the started pushing him around, ripping his coat and then tearing his jacket off. Ramsay was being pushed around, getting punched, spat on, kicked and he was defenseless. Three of the workers paralyzed Ramsay in a full nelson, as Beric got on his face and made sure every word counted.<br/><br/>“<em>Listen to me and listen to me good. We are out and we’ll never be pulled back in do you understand? We’re out from your organization and if it is a war that you want, you will get one. If you think you can break us, you’re mistaken.”<br/><br/></em>At that point, he heard the screams of Tycho Nestoris trying to break through the crowd as he was trying to reach Ramsay. Beric signaled to the men to leave the bastard as he and Locke were escorted by Nestoris to their car. Nestoris was shouting at him but he wasn’t having any of it. Thoros then came to him to show that he had everything on tape. Beric asked for the video and then forwarded it to Mr. Snow. He tried calling him right after, but there was no answer.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>He hated being here with every fiber of his being.<br/><br/>Jon knew how to pretend to like some things, as that was practically what he did in almost all of his meetings. His peers in those meetings were boring old men and they always blabbed about useless shit. Today was no different either, as people he didn’t know or hadn’t seen before were coming to offer condolences and pay respects. It looked like none of them knew that he hadn’t stepped foot in Winterfell for the past fifteen years or even if they knew, they were doing a great job at hiding it. Jon knew within his heart that all this buttering up was for something in return. These people were looking at him to be the next Ned Stark, while he had absolutely no interest in being that. The food was the only thing that made it tolerable for him to sit down and because this was somehow some religious thing, there was no alcohol at the table and that bothered him like hell. While someone he didn’t know at all was talking some shit about what a great man his father was and had been, he saw Dany rising from her seat and moving away from the tables. He had been eyeing the blonde woman since he stepped foot on the market street and she had caught his full attention. She was very beautiful, charming and Jon had watched her organizing everything as he was entering the yard. Her movements were graceful, her smile was breathtaking and even though there was some sadness behind her eyes, her gaze was really something else. She was clearly unique compared to all the women he had been with and although it was extremely inappropriate to do so, his curiosity about this woman had made him want to hit on her even more than usual. He excused himself and rose from his seat and followed Dany to wherever she was heading to. He then found her trying to light a cigarette, away from the restaurant and away from the sight of the tables. He gently smiled at her and offered his lighter. She looked like she wasn’t impressed by his advances and clearly wasn’t falling for his charming ways. Understanding that she wasn’t going to initiate any conversation, after lighting her cigarette, he didn’t put the lighter away.<br/><br/>“<em>Can I bum one, if it isn’t too much trouble?”<br/><br/></em>She extended the pack towards him and he took one and quickly lit the cigarette, puffing it away from the beautiful woman standing in front of him. She definitely looked troubled but whether it was due to his presence or something else, that he couldn’t figure out. She was constantly checking out the table as if somebody was watching her. Jon gave her a questioning look and then decided to shield her from the table. She looked rather grateful at this gesture as she inhaled once more and exhaled with relief.<br/><br/>“<em>I don’t want Ashara to see me smoking. That’s why I’m trying to be careful with this whole situation.”<br/><br/>“Don’t worry, I won’t tell her. I won’t tell anyone to be honest.”<br/><br/>“Oh, I thought that you would give me up straight away.”<br/><br/>“Why would I do that?”<br/><br/>“Maybe because you’re in my daughter’s good graces already?”<br/><br/>“Hey, it’s not my fault. Plus you named her after my mother. That alone is enough reason for me to favor her over other ladies.”<br/><br/>“Is it so Jon Stark?”<br/><br/>“I don’t go by that name anymore.”<br/><br/>“Yeah yeah, your father ranted about you not using your original surname some time ago. I know it but I just wanted to struck a nerve that’s all.”<br/><br/>“Do you find it to be appropriate to strike a man’s nerves right after his father died?”<br/><br/>“Save it. I knew you two weren’t close. You’re probably here out of duty, am I right?”<br/><br/>“That’s correct.”<br/><br/>“Then why do you look like you’re enjoying it so much?”<br/><br/>“Well for the first, pretending to enjoy is a big part of the duty. Secondly, I’m aware that it pisses you off.”<br/><br/>“Wait what?”<br/><br/>“Oh don’t give me that. Don’t you think I’m aware that just by coming here I’ve taken over everything you have? You probably despise me already for that.”<br/><br/></em>There. There was the silence that he was used to. With everyone in this barren land, a conversation would come to a dead end and he had nothing to share with these people. Even with this woman, who clearly wasn’t from Winterfell, he barely had one or two things in common. This was a reminder that he didn’t belong here at all. Still he wanted to play nice and extended his hand.<br/><br/>“<em>We’ve never been properly introduced. I’m Jon.”  </em><br/><br/>“<em>Dany.”</em><br/><br/>“<em>Pleased to meet you Miss Storm.”<br/><br/>“So you knew who I was anyway but still went on with your fun?”<br/><br/>“You can’t blame a man for tyring to strike a nerve?”<br/><br/>“Congratulations.”<br/><br/>“So who are you actually? I saw your picture with my father at the restaurant.”<br/><br/></em>To that, Dany just put out her cigarette and walked past by him. Jon wasn’t ready to let this go but he needed to play this smart. He noticed Mance Rayder and Varys had joined the family table, though Varys was clearly about to leave. Jon rushed to his side, thanked the bald man for showing up and promised to visit him at Last Hearth before returning to King’s Landing. His aunt looked pleased with the sight but after that little chat with Dany, he was sure now that everyone was just being nice to him because they all wanted to be in his good graces. He hated this type of behavior with every fiber of his being but calmed himself down. After all these people were the ones who didn’t lift a finger to stop his father from constantly abusing him and it was like now they were fulfilling Ned’s deathwish or something. Keeping his composure, he took the seat between Davos and Mance and got comfortable. There was alcohol being passed around in opaque glasses and mugs from under the table. Jon laughed at that and took one of the glasses and just gulped it down. Mance looked happy to see him as he clasped his shoulder and with a small smile on his face, started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>My condolences Jon, though I have to say I’m glad to see you.”<br/><br/>“Thank you Mance, but I think it’s only me who isn’t glad to see me here.”<br/><br/>“Oh you think that? Look at how pleased everyone is with you being around. This is the right way to handle things.”<br/><br/>“Right, all this duty talk has bored the shit out of me. Can we maybe talk about something else?”<br/><br/>“Sure. After this whole ceremony thing, we’ll be heading to the waterfall to get drunk a little. Hopefully you’ll join us.”<br/><br/>“By us you mean who?”<br/><br/>“Well, it’s just me and Davos for sure but if old Robett can actually convince his wife, he’ll join too.”<br/><br/>“That’s fine I guess. I could use a drink or more than one actually. Count me in.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Good. If you’ll excuse me now, the lanterns have arrived. I’ll need to deal with that.”<br/><br/></em>That made Jon sigh, because the whole lantern thing meant that he needed to stick around more than he planned to do so. Still, he needed to make the best out of the situation. Noticing that no one around could disturb them, he turned to Davos. Even if someone had the balls to interrupt them, he could always play the heir card. The situation wasn’t pleasant to say the least, but still it had its perks.<br/><br/>“<em>So Davos, who is this Dany?”<br/><br/>“You should probably ask your aunt about this.”<br/><br/>“I already asked but she didn’t give me much. I’d rather hear this from you right now.”<br/><br/>“Well what do you want me to say? Dany is the person who replaced you. She saved your father’s life and took your place.”<br/></em><br/>“<em>Saved my father’s life? What do you mean?”<br/><br/>“Your old man had a heart attack about five years ago. Dany found him on the street and saved his life.”<br/><br/>“Is that why she lives at the mansion?”<br/><br/>“That’s one of the main reasons, yes.”<br/><br/>“What about the child? Isn’t there a father?” </em><br/><br/>“<em>Again, you should maybe ask your aunt about those. I cannot give you much since I don’t know that much either.”<br/><br/>“I already told you that my aunt didn’t give me much either. What makes you think I’ll get more out of her if I ask again?”<br/><br/>“Well because the last time you asked, you were just a bypasser. Now you can ask as the head of the Stark family and you might get more answers.”<br/><br/>“So this is what it’s all about then. Me becoming Ned Stark 2.0?”<br/><br/>“Oh come on Jon, it will always be about that now that he’s gone. You cannot escape it and look at how you blended in right away.”<br/><br/>“You might be right, then again you should know that I want nothing to do with all this.”<br/><br/>“Perhaps, but then again if you want to know more about Dany, you might have to. All I can tell you is that she is very dear to all of us and we all love her like she’s one of our own. She will carry on Ned’s legacy, whether you like it or not.”<br/></em>Jon knew the man was right. It wasn’t like envied this woman or wanted to take something from her, but to be able to get to know her a little better, he needed to participate a little in their daily lives. Without getting lost in more thoughts he stood up, pointed at the lanterns and lead the way. He wanted all that ceremonial shit to be over as quickly as possible so he could go and get drunk and go to sleep. The whole thing was tiring enough.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>He had trashed the room but couldn’t calm down.<br/><br/>Ramsay knew what it was to be beaten down by a bunch of people. He knew it too well and it reminded him of the sick things he suffered as a child. How those kids ganged up on him at the orphanage, how he received severe beatdowns every day, until Robert Baratheon had come to his rescue.<br/><br/><em>(30 years ago)<br/><br/></em>He was again at the receiving end of another beatdown.<br/><br/>This time it was a gang-assault by four. He was again getting kicked, stomped on, and punched, spat at and many other things. When the other kids noticed the teacher was coming, the biggest one landed another kick on his face, cracking his glasses. The sight of the teacher meant that everyone had left the scenery. The teacher stood above him and just when Ramsay thought he was here to help, this time it was the teacher who had started beating him down. He was continously cursing at him and shouting at him that this was all happening because he was weak. He dragged him towards that little cabinet under the stairs and despite his protests, he found himself locked in that little shithole.<br/><br/>Five hours had passed and he smelled like shit. The door opened and he was pulled outside. He had pissed himself and spent the time covered in his own piss. He was pushed near the other students who had him beat down. The teacher again came and started shouting at them and the started hitting each one with his belt. He was telling them that their shithousery wouldn’t be tolerated anymore and he was fed up with them. He chased them towards the dormitory. Ramsay wanted nothing to do with anyone and he just wanted to go to sleep. As soon as he entered the dormitory, he headed straight to his bunker and closed his eyes.<br/><br/>He was awakaned by a fellow student jumping on his bunker. The kid was smiling at him as he asked for the homework. The only way he would avoid those beatdowns were to do these kids’ homework. Maybe not to avoid it completely but at least suffer less from those when they took place. Ramsay was weak, fragile and he couldn’t defend himself when he was ganged upon. He took one look at the kid, put on his cracked glasses and took the papers from under his pillow and handed them over. The kid smiled, told him to not to be weak and just left. It was again dark and quiet.<br/><br/>He was awakened once again with another gang assault. He was getting beat down with cloth wrapped soap bars. He just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible so he tried not making any sound but the pain was taking over his whole body. Suddenly the doors opened loudly and older and bigger kids came in. This time they were the ones initiating the beat down at his attackers. He saw vicious punches and kicks being delivered, a few heads being bashed into bunkers. He was afraid that they were here to attack him too but seemingly they weren’t. A few passed out kids were dragged out of the dorm as he head other footsteps and a cane accompanying them. The night supervisor was standing with a big fat man, who used a cane to stand up. He was told to get up and he just sat on the bed to keep observing. The fat man was looking at him with intent but then turned to the supervisor.<em><br/></em><br/>“<em>So it is this one?”<br/><br/>“Yes sir, this is by far the smartest kid I’ve ever seen.”<br/><br/></em>The fat man then turned to him.<br/><br/>“<em>What is your name boy?”<br/><br/>“Ramsay.”<br/><br/>“Well, come down now. We’ve got work to do.”<br/><br/></em>Ramsay followed the fat man as he led him through the building and outdoors, to a car waiting for him. He wanted to take his belongings, but the fat man waived him off and told him that he would buy newer and better things for him and told him to get into the car. That was the last night he ever spent in that dormitory.<br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/>His phone was ringing and the screen read RB. He didn’t want to answer it but he knew he had to. He couldn’t refuse the man who had given him a new life so reluctantly answered but didn’t speak.<br/><br/>“<em>I heard about your little run in at the harbor. You cannot and will not look for revenge, do you understand?”<br/><br/>“It’s too late old man. They broke me and humiliated me. You know what happens to those who cross me. I will fuck them up.”<br/><br/>“Ramsay…”<br/><br/>“I said no old man. I will kill them all and I WILL KILL YOU TOO IF YOU STAND IN MY WAY.”<br/><br/></em>The phone was smashed within his surge of anger and the screen was broken. Just like his glasses from thirty years ago.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>He was back and he was leading the family, just like they all wanted since the beginning.<br/><br/>Lyanna’s heart melted at the sight, as she watched Jon from a distance. His movements alone since he had entered the domain were far more graceful than Ned’s. Ned was often a brute, he was harsh and unwavering but deep inside he preserved mercy for the less fortunate. Jon on the other hand was modern, he looked the part more than Ned did and he definitely had interited the leadership quality of his father, despite their personal differences. He had talked with whoever came to him, he had been kind and nice towards the less fortunate as she watched him helping the elderly people and spending time with the homeless kids.<br/><br/>Lyanna had also noticed the tension between Jon and Dany. Dany was very dear to her, but Jon was her blood. She knew that there would be conflict in her heart if the two clashed and gods she hoped that they would get along. Dany also had many qualities that Ned had, while she was very much like Jon in personal relations. She was nice, kind, helpful but very well organized. She also commanded respect like any other and it never felt like Ned had handed the position to her. She had to admit that Ned had done a fantastic job grooming the young woman, including the things he had never been able to pound into Jon. The two of them locked eyes very often during the feast but the gazes weren’t soft. One could pretty much feel the tension, when paid attention and Lyanna had done nothing but observing the situation.<br/><br/>When the lanterns came and the septon arrived at the center of attention, the scene became heartbraking for her. Everybody stood up to listen to the septon speak about Ned and while Lyanna was listening the man go on about her brother’s accomplishments, she couldn’t keep her eyes from Jon. The boy had nothing but anger and distaste on his face and seeing that tore her apart. She then turned to Dany to observe her, only to find her weeping silently. Everyone was handed a lantern afterwards and the walk towards the bridge had begun. They had to pass through the spot where Ned had died and when that happened, Lyanna couldn’t hold it in and started crying. Jon’s face again had no expression but maybe this was understandable to say the very least. Dany had joined her during the walk and they held hands until they were able to pass through that damn street.<br/><br/>She was one of the first people to reach the bridge and used that to keep observing everyone. Davos was talking to Jon about something and pointing towards Dany. She couldn’t notice little Ashara until Jon picked her up from the ground and put her on his shoulders. Dany wasn’t happy with the sight one bit but clearly the little girl liked Jon a lot already. Jon then separated himself from Davos and walked towards Dany. He brought Ashara down and helped Dany with the lantern. She took a good look at the trio and Lyanna wanted to imagine them as one happy family, together. Once the lanterns were released to the air, Lyanna gasped at the sight in awe and kept looking around. The faces around her were happy faces and for a brief moment, everything was fine with the world.<br/><br/>The crowd had disbanded quickly as Dany, Tormund, Jorah and Edmure headed to the restaurant to handle their business while Jon was heading to the waterfall with Davos and Mance. Marya, Lynesse and Roslin were to accompany her home and Dany had promised to join them as soon as the work at the restaurant was done. They were back at the mansion within minutes and Dany arrived maybe ten minutes later, as she was sent home with Ashara and Alys. Beth welcomed them at the door and immediately tended to Ashara, while Dany joined them at the patio. Basic plesantaries were exchanged as the topic came to Ashara not eating. Despite Dany being a hothead in general, Lyanna knew that she needed to press the matters and take the initiative.<br/><br/>“<em>I already arranged a meeting with the doctor tomorrow at Winterfell Central. I don’t want any excuses. That little girl means the world to all of us and this needs to be handled by professionals.”<br/><br/>“I guess you are right. Whatever I’ve done hadn’t worked. Alys tried numerous times during the feast, as did I but no avail. Maybe we do need professional help in that department.”<br/><br/>“We most certainly do. Jon will take you to the hospital though, I want him to oversee the issues and it’ll be good for someone to accompany you for the trip.”<br/><br/>“I can handle it alone…”<br/><br/>“Nonsense. While he’s here, he will make himself useful and act like a Stark. He may not want to, but he will. I will let him know tomorrow. In any case, Ned wouldn’t want you to handle this alone and with a Stark next to you, things work themselves out much easier here in Winterfell. I think you have that figured out by now.”<br/><br/>“You’re right. All I want at the moment is for her to get better. I’m constantly blaming myself for not being able to attend to her but I just couldn’t with all that chaos.”<br/><br/>“Well, that’s why we’ll have a professional handling this. When is it that you guys decided to open the Moat again?”<br/><br/>“We talked about Sunday but I don’t know if I can handle it. I feel like my feet won’t take me there.”<br/><br/>“They will and they must. You do realize that you are the majority owner right? Ned entrusted you with managing it and manage it you will.”<br/><br/></em>There was a brief silence and Dany immediately rushed indoors, crying. Lynesse wanted to follow her inside but Lyanna signaled her no, while Marya told her to sit down. Dany’s reaction had confused her and she didn’t know how to respond to this. She looked at Marya, who clearly had the coolest head around the table.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m really surprised she acted like this. It’s like she’s unaware of what she’s been tasked with.”<br/><br/>“No, I think she realized what she’s facing right at this exact moment. It’s like she became Dany Stark just moments ago and I feel very happy for her.”<br/><br/></em>Everyone was nodding in approval and that had brought a smile on Lyanna’s face as well. She especially liked the Dany Stark part and couldn’t help chuckling at the thought. The sight of Jon, Dany and Ashara standing next to each other came to her mind and she thought maybe that would be realized some day. Then Roslin asked the one question, that would bring seriousness to the table and brought everyone’s feet to the ground.<br/><br/>“<em>But what about Jon?”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>They had gathered around Mance’s jeep as his driver would take them to the waterfall. There was the smallest of restaurants nearby the waterfall and it was generally reserved for the rich people. Jon knew that it was a priviledge to dine and drink there and this time it didn’t bother him. He knew that he was going to enjoy their time there, away from all those curious eyes. He knew that Mance was going to bring up business and Davos was surely going to talk about his late father but those didn’t bother him at that moment. His mind was divided into pieces for sure and that blonde woman occupied most of them. The ride itself took around half an hour and within that time, they were seated outdoors and drinks were being served.<br/><br/>Mance had just ordered the finest Northern whiskey, told the waiter to leave the bottle and leave them alone, since they didn’t need any food anymore, having feasted on the Moat’s most famous foods. It took Mance exactly ten minutes before he got into a work related conversation. Luckily he knew what to expect so he handled the old man with relative ease. The sponsorship deal was signed and sealed already and that brought a big smile to Mance’s face. The harbor business was going to work itself out as well but Jon opted not to think about it at that very moment. Then unsurprisingly, Davos brought up his dad. Jon gave him a stern look but the old man didn’t flinch. Jon kept staring at Davos with an unwavering gaze and finally he stopped.<br/><br/>“<em>Stop looking at me like Ned. You two are more alike than you think.”<br/><br/>“Oh trust me I’m aware.You heard me and flinched after you dropped me off at the hotel, didn’t you?”<br/><br/>“You were fucking loud and for a moment I thought it was him who shouted.”<br/><br/>“I know. I know about the similarities and I hate it that this place brings them out.”<br/><br/>“You shouldn’t. You should instead embrace the similarities.”<br/><br/>“You all may have liked him Davos, but my father was an asshole towards me and no, you don’t get to interrupt me now. You keep telling me that and my aunt expects me to behave like that but I’m no Ned Stark. I will never be Ned Stark.You do know this, right?”<br/><br/>“I know and I’m glad that you’re your own man. Still this shouldn’t be the time we argue. We should maybe talk less about the past and talk about the future more.”<br/><br/></em>At that time, Mance inserted himself back into the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>So what about the Moat, what do you plan to do with it?”<br/><br/>“I’ll either close it or sell it. I have zero interest in that place.”<br/><br/></em>Davos spouted his drink after hearing that and glared at him with anger in his eyes.<br/><br/>“<em>You cannot and will not do that.”<br/><br/>“Why can’t I? Aren’t I the legal heir?”<br/><br/>“You may be, but that restaurant is its own entity now. With Tormund, Jorah and Edmure… With Dany. That place is your father’s legacy and you can’t just do that.”<br/><br/>“Try and stop me Davos, I’ll burn it to the ground if it pleases me. You’re right, I became my own man and I’m glad that I did. I’m no butcher like my father and I don’t plan to become a chef, just because I’m good in the kitchen.”<br/><br/></em>Jon knew he had Davos by the ropes. Once he wasn’t able to strike back with legal words, he figured out that he was still the legal heir to everything. Still he didn’t think himself to be vulnerable to attacks and he was caught off guard. <em><br/><br/></em>“<em>Oh you became your own man eh? Do you really think that you did everything on your own?”<br/><br/>“What do you mean? What’s that supposed to mean?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>You have no say over your father’s legacy. Do you think that you got a job at Martell Industries on your own?”<br/><br/>“You don’t know the first thing about that.”<br/><br/>“Aye, maybe I don’t, but then again there are lots of things that you don’t know either.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Well then Seaworth, quit talking in riddles and come clean.”<br/><br/>“There is nothing to come clean about. If you are the self-made man you claim to be, then you shouldn’t have any problems figuring out what has happened around you.”<br/><br/>“Screw you Davos.”<br/><br/></em>With that he stood up from the table and walked off a little. He heard Davos explaining to Mance about the whole job situation. So it was his father who knew the professor who recommended him to Martell Industries in the first place. Jon scoffed at that, since Davos clearly had no idea about what had taken place after he started interning there but decided to keep things to himself. He was going to play this game with these people and he was going to beat them at it. He pulled out his phone and checked it out. There was a message and missed calls from Beric and a text from Lyanna Mormont. He first opened the video and saw Ramsay getting humiliated by the harbor workers. Immediately he called Beric and the call was quickly picked up.<br/><br/>“<em>Mr. Snow, where the hell are you? I’ve been trying to get to you all day.”<br/><br/>“Well I’m sorry Beric, my father passed away and I’m in Winterfell.”<br/><br/>“I’m sorry for your loss Mr. Snow. When do you think you will return and did you see the video?”<br/><br/>“I saw it alright. Look, it was the wrong move; you guys shouldn’t have done that. Now he’s gonna come at you with all he’s got.”<br/><br/>“It was him or us Mr. Snow. At least I bought us a few days.”<br/><br/>“I think it’s quite the opposite.You probably caused them to speed their shit up but no can do at this point. Do try behaving for the next few days though. I should be back by next week and then we’ll talk.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say Mr. Snow. My condolences again.”<br/><br/></em>That was bad. Jon almost didn’t want to read Mormont’s message at that point but it was probably something really important so unwillingly, he opened the message and it horrified him.<br/><br/>“<em>Ramsay knows it was me.”<br/><br/></em>He returned to the table but clearly all the color had left his face. Mance had asked him if he was okay but he waived him off. After an hour of drinking, he was more relaxed and content with his situation. He needed to sleep it off before deciding on anything so hitting the road was the best idea there was. Just when he was getting into the car, he heard Mance warning Davos about not provoking Jon further, because according to him, Jon pretty much had the potential to do anything, if he was contested. He liked how the old man had understood him faster than anyone else and chuckled to himself. He bid them good night and was back in the mansion in no time. He noticed that Jory had brought his car back to the mansion already but people were already asleep. He walked indoors and started climbing the stairs one by one. He accidentally stepped on that one fucking stair that would always make the same damn noise. That somehow angered him way more than it should have and he roared.<br/><br/>“<em>This fucking stair gets fixed tomorrow. It has been the same for the past thirty years but now is the time for change.”<br/><br/></em>He walked past by his old room to hear Dany’s deep breathing but paid it no mind. He probaly had scared the young woman with his ranting but then again what was done, was done. He was going to play nice with her anyway, because there was just something about that woman that he couldn’t put his finger on. Not just yet.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>He was summoned to a meeting with the big dogs, though he wasn’t by any means in good condition to attend. Still, duty had to be taken care of and Ramsay Bolton never shied away from duty. He woke up early, did some push-ups, showered and shaved and later he had eggs for breakfast. He put his nicest suit on and left for the hotel. Robert was very clear about him not making a scene today and he had promised the old man. He had also said that he would killi him if he stood in his way and boy he was sincere about that. Then again the old man knew him well enough that it wasn’t a fake promise and he would actually do it if it came to that.<br/><br/>Once he hit the road, he did everything to calm himself down as much as possible. That idiot, Tycho Nestoris was going to be there as well and Ramsay hated that little shit with every fiber of his being. He hated the majority of the people he needed to deal with, that was for sure, but then again he had a different type of hate preserved for the leader of the workers union. He arrived at his destination, left his car to the valet, steadied himself and entered the hotel lobby, where he was greeted by Robert’s bodyguard. The big man led him through the corridor towards the big suit and finally he met his superiors at the huge balcony of the suit that Robert was staying in.<br/><br/>Tywin Lannister was as cold as it got, while Robert was already having wine and it wasn’t even midday. Tycho Nestoris looked like he could piss himself at any moment and that sight made him happy. He sat down and nodded to Robert, as Tywin was ramming on Nestoris at full speed by calling him incompetent, implying that he was an idiot and he was useless. Nestoris didn’t have the balls to talk back but instead the balding man was turning a different shade of red, like he was going to implode. Ramsay didn’t want to make too much fun of it, as he knew that soon it would be his turn to take the heat and take the heat he would. Robert was smiling at him, which meant he had rebuffed Tywin’s offer about taking Ramsay away from the operation. Soon the scolding for Nestoris was over and the topic came back to the container. Robert was the first one to talk and there would be no interrupting him at that point.<br/><br/>“<em>This matter needs to be handled right away. To my understanding and from what Nestoris has told us, the workers have hidden the container away somewhere. Now Ramsay, you will figure out where that damn container is because we need to make sure that this cannot get back to us. If this is what I think it is, we could be in trouble.”<br/><br/></em>Tywin was the one questioning so Ramsay kept his mouth shut.<br/><br/>“<em>What do you think it is?”<br/><br/>“Well, the driver told me that when they opened the container, they found a bunch of dead immigrants.”<br/><br/>“Fuck.”<br/><br/>“Well fuck, indeed. Now clearly this Dondarrion and company saw this and lost it right after. Still, I cannot tell if they are in this on their own or…”<br/><br/></em>At that point he had to interfere.<br/><br/>“<em>Jon Snow.”<br/><br/>“What about him?”<br/><br/>“Jon Snow is aware of this. This Dondarrion clearly went to Jon after discovering the situation. The records at MI were hacked. Official and unofficial, everything was taken.There is this new intern Jon hired a few months back. She was the one who did it.”<br/><br/>“Is she with the police?”<br/><br/>“No, she’s a fucking freak show, but the best hacker I’ve ever seen. I cannot tell what triggered them to do this or what caused this all to happen but this much I know. Nobody knows how much data they have either. It’s very likely that the workers took the container and buried it somewhere far away.”<br/><br/></em>Nestoris was nodding in approval while Tywin asked him what would be the next move.<br/><br/><em>“Get Jon to switch sides, destroy Martell’s public credibility by another set-up like the one we pulled years ago. I think it’s time for some restoration, don’t you think it too?”<br/><br/>“This might work. What about this Dondarrion then?”<br/><br/>“He’s mine.”<br/><br/></em>Tywin looked at him carefully and nodded. Then it was Robert who asked Nestoris to bring Dondarrion to him. Then Tywin turned to him and continued.<br/><br/>“<em>Now I want to know where Jon Snow is in all of this. I want no violence against him, on the contrary I want him manipulated to come over to our side, if possible. Now, about Oberyn…”<br/><br/>“You cannot touch Oberyn.”<br/><br/>“Why is that?”<br/><br/>“He made a deal with the Faceless Men.”<br/><br/></em>Everybody knew that Oberyn Martell had learned his trade in Braavos and had spent time with the Iron Bank. Once you rose through the ranks of the Iron Bank, it was easier to make connections to the Faceless Men. The air was cold at the table, but things needed to be said and Ramsay always took pride in saying things that everyone was afraid of.<br/><br/>“<em>They will hunt us down, if he dies. If he so much slips and hits his head on the pavement, they will still kill us. You know how those deals work. An eye for an eye.”<br/><br/>“Do you think we can buy them out?”<br/><br/>“The Iron Bank is backing them. We simply cannot.”<br/><br/>“In that case we’ll torture him, but that’s another topic for another time. What will you do next?”<br/><br/>“Right now I have a she-bear that I need to deal with. The rest, I don’t know.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>It was a rather quiet day at the mansion and he was enjoying the perks of being served everything he wanted to have. For a man who had lived alone for so long, Jon had come to appreciate the idea of people helping you out when you were doing things. Also coffee being ready when we woke up and breakfast being served right after he was out of the shower, were little perks that made him smile. He knew that his aunt was in on this, as all that being nice to him thing was going on. His mind went back to the conversation he had with Davos but he quickly pushed the thought away to keep observing the mansion. Dany was drawing or painting by the patio, while his aunt was at the glass-garden as usual. Meanwhile, Dany’s little daughter was constantly being chased by Beth, who was clearly tired with her occupation.<br/><br/>Ashara once again passed by Dany and this time the young woman decided that enough was enough as she caught the little girl in a strong grip, only for the little girl to break free moments later. Lyanna, clearly disturbed with all the noise, came towards the patio and started speaking about a doctor. Hearing that, Jon moved closer to join in on the conversation as Lyanna was going on and on.<br/><br/>“<em>No dear, I already made the appointment. The little one needs to go and see the doctor today. Jon will take you to the hospital.”<br/><br/>“I will? What’s wrong with Ashara?”<br/><br/></em>Dany huffed to herself and willingly acknowledged the situation.<br/><br/>“<em>She hasn’t been eating since Ned died.”<br/><br/>“Alright, I’ll take you to the hospital, no worries. It’s good to have a Stark with you, when you are handling your business in Winterfell.”<br/><br/></em>He didn’t give her the chance to object anything as he walked indoors, only to be greeted by Shireen, who had stayed over last night. Jon took Shireen to his arms with a slick movement and kept on walking towards the kitchen. Noticing that Shireen was heading that way, Ashara started following them too. Jon made sure Shireen was seated properly as he started looking for things in the kitchen. He took out flour, milk and eggs, then searched the cabinet for tomato paste and found it. He started mixing the ingredients for the pasta and quickly mixed the flour with eggs and milk and then rolled it into a ball, covered it and left it to rest for a little.<br/><br/>Ashara was watching him with intent, while Shireen was looking at him like he was the only thing that mattered on the face of the planet. Jon held unconditional love towards Shireen, not just because she was suffering from greyscale, but she was so smart and bright that his heart melted at her sight. Ashara was silently watching him too but he paid the little girl no mind and told Shireen to get him a saucepan and a bunch of other kitchenware. He noticed that Dany and Lyanna were watching from the garden as well, with Dany coming in and out of the kitchen continously to try and see if Ashara was alright. Having enough with all that, Jon finally turned around when she entered the kitchen and pointed at the door.<br/><br/>“<em>Out. This is my domain. Get out.”<br/><br/>“But my daugh…”<br/><br/>“There is an adult here watching over her. Get out now.”</em><br/><br/>After she was gone, he worked the tomato paste, chopped some onions and garlic and fried them off, added some fresh basil and parsley and found some cheese to grate on top. Once the dough had rested, he started working it and spreaded it very thin. Then he cut it into pieces as the water was boiling and quickly threw the pasta into the boiling water. After a few minutes, he was done.  He mixed the pasta into the sauce and took two bowls from the cabinet to serve. He took one good look at Ashara who was clearly overwhelmed with the whole preparation process but was too proud to ask for food. After putting one bowl for himself and one for Shireen, he again turned to Ashara.<br/><br/>“<em>I was told you’re not eating, therefore I didn’t prepare anything for you.”<br/><br/></em>With that he started eating, making noises during the whole eating process, asking Shireen whether she liked the food, complimenting himself on how good the meal had turned out. He finished his bowl while looking at Ashara every now and then and he could tell that this was driving the little girl towards the edge. Once Shireen was done too, he told her to go wash her hands and put the remaining pasta to another bowl. He left the bowl on the counter and headed outside to observe. Soon after, Ashara first left her seat and then pushed the other seat near the counter to reach the bowl of pasta. She then madly attacked the food and was in danger of choking on it. Dany tried to interfere but the little girl paid her mother no mind and kept eating at full speed. He smiled at the scene with satisfaction and turned to Dany, only to find her glaring at him.<br/><br/>“<em>What?”<br/><br/>“What do you think you’re doing?”<br/><br/>“I’m doing nothing. I just made your kid some pasta after you told me she wasn’t eating. Look who’s eating now.”<br/><br/>“Who do you think you are to interfere on my family matters?”<br/><br/>“I’m not interfering on anything, I’m just helping you out.”<br/><br/>“By making pasta? Anyone could make pasta.”<br/><br/>“Well then why didn’t you? You people feed kids useless crap. Kids love pasta and they need to have it every now and then. Not this gluten-free shit, I’m not taking that unless someone has celiac.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>What do you know about parenting?”<br/><br/>“Oh right, I wouldn’t know anything about parenting because all I had was an abusive father.”<br/><br/>“HE WASN’T ABUSIVE.”<br/><br/>“THE HELL HE WASN’T. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT I EXPERIENCED?”<br/><br/></em>Jon wanted to smash that stubborn woman into pieces as Lyanna interfered and told both of them to shut up. Dany then went into the kitchen to take Ashara and lead her to wash her hands and mouth. Lyanna then gestured at him to take a seat and reluctantly Jon did that. Now was probably the best time to ask about Dany, since he was alone with his aunt.<br/><br/>“<em>Who is this woman?”<br/><br/></em>That question clearly shifted the tone as he could see the discomfort in his aunt’s eyes but he didn’t care. Figuring out that she had no choice after his demanding tone, Lyanna started explaining what she knew.<br/><br/>“<em>She was the one who found Ned on the street after his first heart attack. Helped him rush to the hospital and Ned used all his people to find the girl and found her they did. She was then brought here and we were all grateful for what she had done. Ned accepted her, took her in and they bonded over a very short time. She started humanizing Ned while learning from him. She was a mess when she came here though. We know nothing about the child, nothing about the father either. Only Ned knew and he forbade us from asking. All I know is that she cried every night after she moved here. It eventually stopped and she became better in time, but you can clearly see the sadness on her face when you look carefully. She breathed life into this mansion, filled that gaping hole you left behind in all of our lives.”<br/><br/>“So this is it? I think there is more though.”<br/><br/>“Of course there is, but as I said, this is what I know. She has this one thing though. When she cups someone’s face, it’s either out of love or trust. That’s very specific.”<br/><br/>“I see. Look, I don’t want to have problems with her since she’s so important for all of you. I’ve been warned by Tormund and Davos before and now you said very similar things so I get it. In any case, my time here is temporary and I don’t want to take anything from her. I can see that she’s disturbed by my presence already.”<br/><br/>“I don’t know if it is like that but there is one more thing that you should know.”<br/><br/>“What is it?”<br/><br/>“Ned wanted to leave everything he had to her.”<br/><br/>“But he couldn’t?”<br/><br/>“Davos said that he couldn’t live long enough to sign the new will he had prepared but I don’t care.”<br/><br/>“So she gets to inherit everything?”<br/><br/>“No, not like that. Your father wanted me to have the mansion to pass it on to Ashara after my time. He intended to leave the restaurant to Dany, Tormund, Jorah and Edmure, with Dany being the majority owner.”<br/><br/>“I think you should have the mansion anyway. Even if he had left it to me, I would’ve wanted you to have it.”<br/><br/>“But the restaurant?”<br/><br/>“I intend to sell it or close it, considering that I’m the righftul owner.”<br/><br/></em>His aunt then slapped him for the first time in his life. Jon didn’t flinch, his expression didn’t change and he continued in the same calm tone.<br/><br/>“<em>I want nothing to do with this mansion, that restaurant, or this land to be honest. This isn’t my life, this was never my life and this will never be my life, do you understand me? All these people look at me like I’m the new Ned but I’m not. I won’t ever be, because we have never been the same. We do have some similarities, that much I know, but I’m letting neither you, nor Davos to trap me into taking ownership of everything and becoming my father.”<br/><br/></em>This was met with silence. He had let his aunt know that he had seen through their schemes and he wasn’t going to take part in it. He was a few steps ahead of them and he wasn’t going to budge. Once he stood up, he saw Dany was ready with Ashara and Shireen. She called for Rodrik but Jon stopped her.<br/><br/>“<em>No, no driver. I’m driving you there myself.”<br/><br/></em>Winterfell Central wasn’t too far away but Jon didn’t want to be late, since they had to first drop Shireen home. Dany helped him with the road when he couldn’t really remember where exactly the Seaworths lived. Soon after they arrived and Dany took Shireen towards the flat, as Marya was waiting for them in front of the building. Marya gave Dany a questioning look, to which she shrugged.  He played with his phone until she came back to the car and kept on playing with it while driving.<br/><br/>“<em>Could you please put your phone away?”<br/><br/>“What? My eyes ere on the road. It’s not like I’ll get us killed in an accident.”<br/><br/>“Well, I still have scars from the time you tried to kill me so…”<br/><br/>“Point taken.”<br/><br/></em>He put his phone away and concentrated on the road. The silence wasn’t necessarily comfortable and Jon knew that he needed to say a few things before the whole hospital issue began. He cleared his throat and started talking without taking his eyes off the road.<br/><br/>“<em>Look, I know you aren’t comfortable with me being around and I’m pretty sure you have so many questions in your head about me. I want you to know that I’m ready to answer anything you want to know and I’m trying to actually help you with some of the things, since everybody considers you to be a part of this family.”<br/><br/>“That was very honest, thank you. I would like to talk sure, but maybe after the whole hospital thing?”<br/><br/>“Name the time and we’ll do it. Keep in mind that I won’t be here forever.”<br/><br/>“What, are you leaving immediately?”<br/><br/>“Not immediately of course, I’ll spend the week here for sure but afterwards I’ll need to get back to King’s Landing. I have a job there, remember?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Right. We’ll talk but don’t expect me to tell you my life story.”<br/><br/></em>Jon chuckled at that and parked his car. He knew one day that he would get to hear her backstory for sure but he knew that it would take time. He opened the passenger doors and let mother and daughter get out of the car. He led them through the hospital, gave his name at the floor reception and immediately the secretary rushed to them to take Ashara and lead her to the doctor’s office. Jon didn’t really like hospitals that much and Dany was completely silent while they were waiting for Ashara to come back. He then turned to her, only to find her completely in a trance and staring blank. Her face had taken a very sad expression, she was trying to ball that injured hand of hers into a fist and clearly that was paining her. Tears were flooding her eyes as she started trembling and continously whispered one word.<br/><br/>“<em>Rhae.”<br/><br/></em>Jon tried to get her back to the land of the living to no avail. He asked a few times if she was okay but there was no response. He didn’t want to slap the young woman so he shook her arm but there was again no response. He held her hand and asked if she was okay once more. At that point, Dany opened her eyes and stared at him directly. When she noticed that he was holding her hand, she panicked and tried to get away. All that could leave the young woman’s lips was once sentence and it was barely audible.<br/><br/>“<em>Don’t touch me.”<br/><br/></em>And she fainted.<br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Up to this point, Jon's arc was the one which showed the most development. It will still be as important naturally, but we will start digging deeper into Dany's backstory, bit by bit. </p><p>Despite being too long, I was quite satisfied with how this chapter turned out. Hopefully anyone who reads will feel the same way. </p><p>Thank you for reading, giving kudos and commenting!</p><p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In Winterfell, Jon blends into the daily life and interacts more with Dany to find common ground, while Dany tries to figure out Jon's motives.</p><p>In King's Landing, Lyanna takes big steps while Ramsay is watching. Robert Baratheon enters the game, while Oberyn makes a big move.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again!</p><p>It arrives a little late but I'm again back with a rather long chapter. This was read through only once so please do point out if there are any mistakes for me to fix!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>(4 years ago)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>It was a beautiful day in Winterfell.<br/>
<br/>
The weather was so nice that she had convinced Ned to actually walk to the restaurant from the mansion. The old man had protested at first but hadn’t argued further. It was a slow and a long walk but clearly after a while, his breathing was normal and he was feeling more confident about his health. He was in the happiest of moods as they entered the restaurant.<br/>
<br/>
After half an hour of bickering and complaining, Dany had finally convinced the old man to stay still while she was drawing him. Still, every now and then he would get into a pose, but would always keep his arms crossed, which would make her chuckle. It was damn near impossible to get serious and draw as he continued to make these funny faces, while trying to look cool.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I told you that you don’t need to pose. Just look natural, it’ll turn out better that way.”<br/>
<br/>
“Näh, I’ll decide on that. You just do the drawing.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Her hand was bothering her a little as she kept on sketching. She dropped the pencil, bent down to take it, only to find Ned making an even funnier face as she rose. She laughed at the sight but winced as her hand started aching. She tried to hide the pain but clearly her face gave it away as Ned’s look was now concerned.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Let’s take a break, your hand is hurting again. That much I can understand.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, it’s fine, I can keep on…”<br/>
<br/>
“Nonsense, it’s visible on your face. EDD, BRING US COFFEE.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She tried to fight through the pain and kept drawing until Ned came and took her pencil away. He had a stern look on his face, the one look that everyone feared. She knew he was serious but this was maybe the one topic that she would never back down. He put the pencil away and then held her injured hand.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I said let’s take a break and I meant it. I want no objections on this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine.”<br/>
<br/>
“Which department at the hospital would take care of this, let me call Davos and ask…”<br/>
<br/>
“NO. I don’t want you to, please don’t.”<br/>
<br/>
“You cannot and will not continue to live like this. Not with the pain. That’s enough.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, you don’t understand. This is my penance. It’s a reminder of what’s taken from me.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The argument was about to get heated but then her daughter started crying and that interrupted things. Just when she was about to head inside, she again heard a wolf howling in distance, just like the one in her dream.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
(Present day)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
She didn’t recognize the surroundings.<br/>
<br/>
The place was insanely bright and white, with some weak sun reflecting from the window. She turned to her left to find her daughter asleep on a small couch next to the bed she was laying on. Then she noticed Jon was standing by the window, who hadn’t yet noticed that she was awake. She immediately tried to get up but her head felt too heavy. Jon immediately turned to her after hearing the movement and rushed to her side, telling her to take it easy. He had again held her hand and she pulled it back in a quick movement. At that moment Lyanna rushed into the room with Tormund. She gave Jon a questioning look but Jon paid her no mind. Both Lyanna and Tormund looked extremely worried while Jon was keeping his cool. Her head was getting heavy again as Lyanna and Tormund showered her with questions. This time Jon interfered and his tone was very calming. So calming that it reminded her of Ned’s serene way of approaching matters.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>She fainted due to exhaustion and dehydration. Lack of sleep and food since Ne… my father’s death apparently caused this.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They were all nodding at Jon while she examined his face. He did look sincerely worried about the whole thing but was somehow keeping his calm. All she had known about him was that he was a cold hearted bastard but still, he was nice towards her in general. Maybe there were things about him that she hadn’t seen yet and that made her curious. At that time Ashara groaned and woke up and Jon smiled at her daughter, which was returned by the little girl. Jon then led Lyanna and Tormund outside of the room for a while, telling them that they should give the mother and daughter some privacy. Right after they were left alone, Ashara slowly got down from the sofa and crawled next to her on the bed. Her daughter had a look of worry in her eyes and Dany knew that she had to take control of the situation but she was just so, so damn tired.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Did this happen because of me?”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you mean?”<br/>
<br/>
“I meant you fainting. Was it because of me?”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course not my dear, don’t say things like that please.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Their conversation couldn’t continue for more as the doctor came in with Lyanna accompanying her. With Lyanna she would at least feel comfortable enough to deal with these things. She continously muttered that she was fine to the doctor, who paid her no mind and just kept on measuring her blood pressure. The doctor then turned to Lyanna, who was eyeing her with worried eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>She’ll need rest. Also with the events that transcribed, I recommend that she sees a psychaitrist for a while at least.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Lyanna just nodded as the doctor left. This was getting more and more embarrassing with each passing moment. She immediately tried to get up once again, despite Lyanna’s protests but then Jon once again came back into the room and just stared at her warmly. There was even a hint of a smile on his face. What was this man’s deal, she was really having a hard time figuring that out but she noticed that she was in no shape to argue with anyone at that moment. Trying to get up once more, she was again stopped by Jon.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I was told that you needed rest, so you will rest.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>His gaze was unwavering and he was just staring at her with his arms crossed. For a moment she thought she was seeing Ned, only younger with darker hair. The sight horrified her and the silence was getting on her nerves. It was Lyanna’s voice that ended the silence.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>The doctor recommended that Dany see a psychaitrist.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Before she was able to say anything Jon just raised his hand and stopped any objection that could come from her. Who the hell he thought he was, taking charge of things like that? She wanted to just get up and attack him straight at that point but then he talked.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Maybe so, but that only helps if she actually wants to go. We’ll discuss this later once we get back to the mansion. The doctor told me that she should rest for about half an hour more at least. After that she’s free to go. I’ll be waiting outside.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>So this was the difference. Ned would have immediately agreed with Lyanna if this had happened under his watch, while Jon already recognized her as her own woman. Then again this wouldn’t have happened if Ned was still alive and she knew it. Once the said time was up, Jon came back to help her gather her things and picked up Ashara. He drove very carefully and never once exceeded the speed limit during the ride and didn’t utter a single word. Once they entered the mansion, she told Ashara to get home immediately, because she wanted a moment alone with Jon and that needed to be taken care of before getting indoors.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What did you tell the doctor?”<br/>
<br/>
“I told her what happened. You clearly had a panic attack. I checked your pulse before you fainted and it was way above normal.”<br/>
<br/>
“I would have appreciated it more if you just you know, didn’t say anything to anyone about that.”<br/>
<br/>
“Would you now? Look, I’m not interfering with your life; I’m just making sure that necessary steps are taken about your health. Besides, I stand by what I said. The doctor can recommend whatever, but if you don’t want to go, it’s no help anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“Speaking out of experience?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes. Go get some rest now, you’ll need it. If there’s anything you need from me, just let me know.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She thanked him and rushed to her room, closed the blinders and just laid on her bed in the darkness. It was quiet; she could hear her own heartbeat and it was disturbing. She then turned on the light and looked at her drawings. First it was Ned’s portrait and then it was her mother Rhaella’s. The third one shattered her heart into pieces as she stared at her little sister’s face. Little Rhaenys was still young and full of life when she had last seen her and guilt rushed over her as she kept staring at the drawing. She had opened up to Ned about her secret and now he was gone. There was nobody to protect her at all and the entire world was collapsing onto her. Her thoughts then went back to Jon and this time embarrassment took over. He hadn’t questioned her at all but surely he had witnessed everything that she had tried so hard to keep under covers.  <em><br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
Rhae?<br/>
<br/>
Who the fuck was Rhae?<br/>
<br/>
That was the question eating at Jon’s mind since Dany had fainted at the hospital. He didn’t want to take advantage of the young woman’s state of mind and start questioning things either; therefore he just wanted her to feel comfortable at that point. For the time being he decided to let things be and focus on other things, since he still had to see Davos to ask about a few things. He was probably still pissed at him after their heated argument at the waterfall but Jon wasn’t the type that would hold grudges so he decided to call Davos right after settling in. He finally stepped out of his car to see Tormund coming from the inside of the barn with a very unhappy face. Figuring out that it was now his task to take care of things, he gave him a questioning look.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>We have a problem.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well that much I figured from your face. What is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Some of the sheep and a few cows are sick. I’m suspecting smallpox.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well that’s a big problem. There used to be this guy who dealt with the flocks, what was his name?”<br/>
<br/>
“You mean Wolkan? He went to his village after Ned died. He was getting old anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“The flocks need to be properly vetted, am I right? Wolkan was no vet though, that much I remember.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well he was what we had here. Ned chased away the last vet with a baseball bat.”<br/>
<br/>
“That figures. You must know some people right? Give one a call and make sure the flocks are properly vetted. Neither the mansion, nor the restaurant can’t take this hit.”<br/>
<br/>
“Speaking of the restaurant…”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah what of it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Lyanna told me that you either want to sell or close it down.”<br/>
<br/>
“That was what I said, but my mind isn’t made up yet.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well what’s on your mind?”<br/>
<br/>
“You know that the old man and I didn’t get along about it. My first reaction was to burn it to the ground but then I thought of you, Jorah and Edmure.”<br/>
<br/>
“And Dany?”<br/>
<br/>
“Her I don’t know about. I know you three though and I don’t like the idea that you three would be out of jobs if it gets closed down or sold.”<br/>
<br/>
“Let us buy it from you then in that case.”<br/>
<br/>
“There is no way in hell that I’m accepting your money Tormund. You’re still taking care of your mom, that much I already figured.”<br/>
<br/>
“You know that you could just get behind the counter and work wonders. I know you don’t like it that much and I respect the fact that you became your own man, but it would be good to have you.”<br/>
<br/>
“I know why you feel like that but you’re wrong. I get it, the restaurant is your life and I will do my best so that you keep what you have, if not get more out of it. I heard about my father’s will and that he couldn’t live long enough to sign it so that it would be put into motion but, I just want to ask you something. Are you okay with Dany being the majority owner?”<br/>
<br/>
“More than okay. You know that I’m not the boss material and she knows how to lead. She’s maybe not a natural like you are, but still as good as you for sure.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s big coming from you. Anyway, I’ll need to get going soon. Make sure that the flocks are taken care of.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that he quickly went inside to get a few things. After running through his stuff, finding the necessary folders, he noticed a weird smell. Tormund definitely smelled like sheep and when he had hugged him, he had started smelling like sheep too. After a quick wash-up and putting on fresh clothes, he then called Davos to set up a quick meeting while washing himself with his cologne to forget about the smell.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Still mad at me, are you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, you are as stubborn as your father, so I’ll give you a pass. What is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“I need to meet up to ask about a few things. Legal stuff.”<br/>
<br/>
“If it is about the restaurant, I’m not ready to talk to you about that yet.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not about the restaurant, this is completely different. You have half an hour for me?”<br/>
<br/>
“That much I have. Meet me at Wintertown, your old man’s favorite alehouse.”<br/>
<br/>
“Will be there in fifteen.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He then stepped downstairs to find Dany and Lyanna sitting together. Lyanna was having her daily Pentoshi coffee, while Dany was just staring blank, clearly still shaken from what had taken place. He was troubled by the young woman’s state but still didn’t want to interfere much. Their silence may had been comfortable but it was disturbing for him. He went by them and initiated the conversation in a cheerful tone.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Have you guys eaten?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, Dany wasn’t feeling like it and I had my lunch after you guys left for the hospital anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well she should eat, the doctor told me as much.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He knew that this was going to provoke her so he just turned his back and pretended to look for something in the drawer and kept on pretending until he heard her voice.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well I’m going back to the doctor tomorrow.”<br/>
<br/>
“For yourself or for Ashara?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>When he turned his back, there was a murderous look on Dany’s face. Some sick part of him was enjoying this, because this woman clearly, passionately hated how different he was than Ned, but very similiar at the same time. When he just smiled, her expression softened and he continued.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Because if it is about Ashara, I spoke with the doctor.”</em><br/>
<br/>
“<em>I almost forgot about that. What did the doctor say?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He decided not to answer that as he wanted to fuel her a little bit more as headed for the door straight. Just when he was about to grab his jacket, there was a hand on his wrist. He turned around and took a step towards Dany. They were way too close at that point and he was just smiling, clearly enjoying this interaction.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I asked you loud and clear, what did the doctor say?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He just kept on smiling as he moved even closer. Their noses were about to touch and Dany’s eyes looked like they were drawn for a manga. That shade of dark blue, almost purple was insanely beautiful. Her expression then became stern and almost irritated by his presence. When he lowered his head, the reaction was very clear.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Don’t.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Without saying another word, he leaned in and grabbed the car keys and left without saying anything. He was starting to like Dany more and more with each interaction and was enjoying helping her in his own way. Still, serious business was waiting for him at Wintertown so he paid no mind to Dany’s inaudible cursing from his back and headed straight to the car. After a ten minute ride, he met Davos and they immediately got down to business.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>There used to be this guy, this officer, who was friends with my father. He helped him with his dealings beyond the wall and so on. I can’t remember his name though. He was balding and was already a little fat when I left for KL. Do you happen to remember him?”<br/>
<br/>
“Do you mean Varys?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, that’s the one. Where is he nowadays?”<br/>
<br/>
“He took residence up north after retiring from the Winterfell job. He goes between Last Hearth and White Harbor.”<br/>
<br/>
“Retired huh, that’s a bummer.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you need him for? Are you involved in something shady?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Just set me up with him for the time being. I’ll let you know more once I’m sure about where I’m standing at with this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, let me quickly make the call. When do you plan to visit him?”<br/>
<br/>
“Tomorrow if it’s okay with him.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>After two tries and five minutes on the phone, Davos had secured him an appointment. He looked slightly upset, but Jon knew that he couldn’t bring Davos into this mess, not yet at least. He was going to need legal advice later on and that would be the time to look for his services. Noticing that he still had the time, he decided to ask about one thing that confused him the most.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Who is Rhae?”<br/>
<br/>
“What Rhae? What do you mean Rhae? Where do you know Rhae from?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Alright look, we took Dany’s daughter to the psychiatrist today. Aunt Lyanna made me go with and I’m kinda glad she did that. Once Ashara was inside with the doctor, Dany zoned out completely, started shaking, sweating and so on. Clearly she was having a panic attack but before she fainted, she kept repeating Rhae over and over. I tried to help her but couldn’t keep her in check.”<br/>
<br/>
“Look Jon, it might be for the best to leave Dany on her own with this. She’s got secrets like we all do. Ned knew everything in detail and the more he learned, the more he changed. He evolved, got softer.”<br/>
<br/>
“My father? Softer? Heh.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, your father got softer. You know that he was an untamed, wild wolf. Dany tamed him, put out his anger, named her daughter after your mother and humanized him. Look, you didn’t exist for Ned before he died. It was all about Dany and Ashara for him. There might not be anything on paper that’s left to you but if there is something that he left you, that’s Dany and Ashara. I belive deep down, he always meant for you to take care of them.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure I’ll help them out, I already am doing it whether willingly or not but I need to know more. Who is this woman, where did she come from? It’s like she cast a spell on everyone seriously.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, that’s all I can help you with. If you want more, I guess you’ll need to work for it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that he left and Jon was on his own. He decided to walk around a little before getting back to his car. Just after turning the corner to Market Street, he first heard the horn and then saw a very old car coming towards him from across the street. The car stopped in front of him and two strange looking men stepped out of the car and they were grinning like idiots.<br/>
<em><br/>
“He didn’t recognize us.”<br/>
<br/>
“Bet your ass he didn’t.”<br/>
<br/>
“Look at you Stark, all King’s Landing and no Winterfell. Forgetting about your high school buddies right away after leaving.”</em><br/>
<br/>
At that point it came to him. These were Grenn and Pyp and boy it was good to see them. He hadn’t seen them in fifteen years and running into them like this had made him emotional. They hugged, chit chatted a little, exchanged numbers and agreed to meet for drinks while Jon was still in town. One thing that bothered him was that both of them were without work and clearly low on funds. He wanted to help them out but he knew that he couldn’t just hand out money so he decided to figure out in what way he could help them with their situation and walked back to his car.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being followed.<br/>
<br/>
Now that sick son of a bitch had figured out she was in on it, the chase had begun and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. Then there was this case with her downstairs neighbor and that really pissed her off. She would hear the man beating his wife every damn day and even though she had offered help to the woman, her efforts were always rebuffed. Lyanna hated that Stockholm syndrome type of thing and wanted to do more. Pushing the thoughts away, she took the bag of cat food and went outside to feed the cats who wandered around the building. She was greeted by two hungry ones, who knew that she would come and feed them. After feeding the cats and patting them a little, she went back upstairs, again not being able to shake the feeling that she was being followed. She slowed down when passing by her downstairs neighbor, again hearing the sounds of the abuse and the woman sobbing. Something had to be done and she decided to take matters into her own hands.<br/>
<br/>
She got back to her apartment, fed her own cat and then called Marge to change her flight for the later one, stating that she had personal business to attend to. A trip to Winterfell was on the horizon and Lyanna wanted no unfinished business here before taking off. She walked to the tram stop, still feeling that she was being watched but just tried to act normal. Maybe she was being paranoid and everything was fine, then again this Ramsay was unpredictable and she needed to watch out for everything. She took the tram and got off at the Street of Steel. The name had been a mystery to her once she had moved to King’s Landing but later she had learned that the old steel shops had been replaced with the tech-shops, which was her main interest. She had arrived at her destination and just entered the shop she regularly visited.<br/>
<br/>
Mya Stone was all smiles after seeing her. Her long time friend from the orphanage had made it quite far at life and now owned her own shop in King’s Landing. They all had come far, when she thought of it but now it was strictly about business. She smiled back and just sat down. No pleasantries were exchanged besides a hug, as Mya wasn’t much different than she was when it came to social interactions. Lyanna took a seat and looked around for a while. Mya signaled for tea to be brought to them and took the seat right across from her and kept on smiling.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So what brings you in?”<br/>
<br/>
“I need a stun-gun.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you need the stun-gun for?”<br/>
<br/>
“For self-defence.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, I’ll go check the back to see what I can find.”<br/>
<br/>
“If you have the 8000, it’ll be nice.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that time tea was being served and Lyanna used this opportunity to check her phone. Jon had read her text but hadn’t answered and that kinda bummed her. Her boss would always respond very quickly, but then again maybe he had some things that he needed to deal with as well. She didn’t want to call, in any case they were to leave for Winterfell the next day. Marge had then texted her about the flight info, adding that Arianne Martell was also journeying with them on Oberyn’s orders. Lyanna didn’t know what to think about the big boss’s daughter but thought that if she needed to interact with her, she would just pretend to like it. Mya then returned with the stun-gun in hand and gave her a questioning look.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Would this do? This was the only one I could find.”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess it will need to do. Do you know if this works?”<br/>
<br/>
“Dunno, we’d need to try.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point they both looked at the guy serving the tea, as he was waiting for Mya to pay up. Lyanna knew the guy, since he always wandered around the shops to bring drinks. Mya then smiled at her and used the stun-gun on the tea-guy, which knocked him out of his boots. They laughed at each other while the guy crashed the tray and the empty glasses he had. Then they murmured to each other while still laughing.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>That means it works.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Lyanna then asked if Mya had a nightstick and a pair of handcuffs while the tea-guy was slowly gathering himself on the floor. Mya gave her a questioning look and asked if these were all about a dirty fantasy but Lyanna just laughed that off. Unlucky for her, Mya didn’t happen to have those but asked her about a hack-job, in return as a payment. Lyanna just nodded and told her to forward her the info so she could deal with it later on. She gave Mya a hug and left the shop. Immediately after stepping outside, the feeling of being followed returned and Lyanna felt the awkwardness around her. This time however, she was distracted by her phone and it was Jon who was calling.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Hi boss, what can I do for you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Hey Mormont, sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner. It’s been hectic out here. So what’s the situation?”<br/>
<br/>
“He came by the office and asked me straightaway if I did it. I didn’t respond but he knows. He must have figured out that I did what I did on your orders.”<br/>
<br/>
“I can deal with him, but I don’t want you to get involved with him. I need to get you out of this shit before it’s too late.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m afraid it’s already too late.”<br/>
<br/>
“In any case, I’m coming back next week. We’ll make a plan once I get back.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He had ended the conversation without giving her the chance to tell him that they were arriving the next day. In any case she was confident that Marge would give him a call and let him know before they arrived and she would need to find her own way to the hotel, after she arrived on her own. Now that she didn’t have anything to do again, the feeling that she was being followed had returned. She quickly checked her surroundings once more and then rushed back to the tram to get home as quickly as possible.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
The mansion was quieter than she was used to.<br/>
<br/>
Still, she heard the activity from the kitchens, which reminded her that this wasn’t a cold dead place, like the ones she ran away from. Ashara was again asleep beside her and she didn’t know for how long she had slept either. Without waking her up, she checked the time and only an hour had actually gone by since Jon had left. He had pissed her off, toyed with her and then left without saying a word. He was doing that on purpose, she knew it and some part of her enjoyed being challenged. Since she had relocated here, everyone had been immediately nice and kind towards her, whatever she had wanted to do was approved immediately and nobody had the balls to stand up to her, since doing so actually meant standing up to Ned.<br/>
<br/>
But Jon was different. He had stood up to Ned and gone toe to toe with him years ago. He didn’t back down, his stance was clear but his motives weren’t. Dany still didn’t know what he was going to do as he was the legal heir. He had said that his time here was temporary and it looked like he had actually meant it. Still he was unnaturally helpful and nice towards her and that was confusing. She wanted to move as quietly as possible but Ashara was already up and she decided to tend to her daughter.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Did you sleep well?”<br/>
<br/>
“I did mom, did you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well enough. I feel rested at least.”<br/>
<br/>
“Was it because of me that you got sick?”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course not love. Come now, let’s go downstairs and sit with Lyanna for a while.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They casually left the room and started walking downstairs and she was caught off guard about the stair not making a sound. Jon was already upset about it last night and he apparently had wasted little time about making sure the stair wouldn’t make any sound again. Maybe he was here to change things for the better, as she realized he was very similar to Ned in many ways and that made her wonder what went wrong with them.<br/>
<br/>
Lyanna was casually sipping her tea and nibbling some cookies when they reached downstairs. She looked at them with a sincere smile on her face and invited them to come and sit with her. Ashara this time ran to the older woman and hugged her dearly. Lyanna had been a major help about Ashara and was almost like Ned when it came to matters about herself. She watched as Lyanna ruffled Ashara’s hair and offered her a cookie, which she gladly took. Then her daughter turned to the older woman and completely shocked her with what she said.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I think mommy got sick because of me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why is that little one?”<br/>
<br/>
“I dunno, I just feel like it happened and you guys are hiding it from me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, that can’t happen for sure. But maybe, you not eating properly might have caused her to not eat properly. So how about we have some of your favorites made for the evening?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, so dumplings for mom and pasta for me?”<br/>
<br/>
“You want pasta again?”<br/>
<br/>
“Only if Jon makes it for me.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>We’ll need to ask him when he gets back. I’m sure he’ll make some for you if he isn’t tired.”<br/>
<br/>
“His pasta was great, even better than Uncle Ned’s.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>And there was silence. A child’s innocence and straightforward approach would always cause scenes like that and she knew it in her heart. Maybe Jon was better than Ned as they said, but then again things like that made her realize that she didn’t know the man that well enough yet. It was going to take time to get to know him for good and maybe, only maybe then she could let him be a part of her life. It didn’t matter to her that he would come and go, but that wasn’t going to affect her, as long as he didn’t interfere with her business.<br/>
<br/>
After telling Ashara to go play with Beth, Lyanna then turned to her and smiled warmly. The old woman’s presence was always comforting in tough times, as she was hard as a rock when it came to matters of the heart. She then looked into her eyes deeply and started talking in a very soothing tone.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Look dear, you are very important to all of us and you know that. I don’t want you to overwork yourself for anything please. It’ll be much better when you guys open the Moat on Sunday, trust me. I know that you feel like you don’t have a purpose in life at the moment but you do. You were entrusted with something big, something that you are worthy of. Don’t forget that.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thank you. I really don’t know what to say. Thank you for being with me.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s no problem dear. Still, I won’t let you sit and sulk, like that. You will come with me to the kitchens. A big meal is being prepared. I’m having them prepare Jon’s favorites.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh no, I’m not preparing anything for Jon. I caught him snacking on the bulgur-wheat salad that I made yesterday and he was complaining about how bad it tasted and it lacked tomato paste and so on.”<br/>
<br/>
“Hahah please, Jon is more like his father on that sense. He won’t approve any food that he doesn’t cook himself. He is impossible to please when it comes to food but pay him no mind. I meant for you to come and oversee the preparations. They are no Tormund or Jorah downstairs, but you know that they know what they are doing.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Fine, let me go change and then I’ll meet you at the kitchense to oversee the preparations.”</em><br/>
<br/>
While Lyanna left towards the kitchens, she headed upstairs. Curiosity took over her as she headed towards Jon’s room and entered as silently as possible. The room was tidy, his clothes were either hung or folded properly and one of his watches just stood there, next to his cologne. She went for the cologne and smelled it and immediately it reminded of her about how close they got just hours ago. He was handsome, clearly strong and this smell had something charming about it. The mixture of earth and wood, the forest but nothing was sour about it. In fact, it was somehow comforting in some sense. Just when she was getting lost in the smell, she heard a cracking noise. Feeling embarrassed about her behavior, she immediately left everything the way she found it and rushed back to her room. She closed the door, sat on her bed and just stared at the door and muttered to herself.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>How old are you Dany, are you like, fifteen? Idiot.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
These stupid fucking idiots were failing him miserably and he needed to take action.<br/>
<br/>
Robert Baratheon was a man of order in daily life. Sure he liked his wine, he liked horses and back in his day he had his fun with women but not anymore. During his youth he was wild and untamed and he loved working against the system, until he was caught stealing from the state. He was sure that he was going to end up in prison or sent to the wall to rot, but everything had changed at that point. He was given the opportunity to get involved with the state affairs, work the dirty organizations and keep them under control. The international organizations he worked with could pressure the Westerosi government into pretty much anything and thus, he was appointed to a small role at the ministry of foreign affairs and that was his cover. His real job however, was to find young, smart children and train them to become tools for the organization. Just like Ramsay, he had many Ramsays all around the country. Maybe not as smart or violent as him, but still anyone was replacable in his world. He checked the time to see that brute’s shift was coming to an end. Sooner or later he was going to come to him, whether he liked it or not.<br/>
<br/>
He leaned back in his seat and lowered his window to take a good look at what was going on. Nestoris, as instructed was approaching this Dondarrion. He was such an uncivilized brute that he pushed the union president and loudly told him to go fuck himself. Robert laughed at the gesture, as he was once like this Beric in his youth. Two of his men then approached him to extend the invitation to meet him, which the brute rebuffed by attacking one, while pushing away the other. It was a shame that this guy wouldn’t actually work for him, he was headstrong and would become the ultimate soldier for him, if he only joined him. He signaled for the driver to move towards the action as Beric just stood there and observed the vehicle. Pressing the button to invite him inside, he just grinned to the harbor worker with intensity, pointing at the person lying right beside him. With horror on his face, Beric stepped into the vehicle and the doors were closed. Beric was seated between the two of his men who were sitting across from him and still looking at this Thoros guy, who was held unconcsious next to him. He tried to make a move but Robert raised his hand and Beric was immediately held to his seat by brute force.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Now Dondarrion, I heard that you made quite the scene with Ramsay. Not too many people are able to humiliate him the way you did. You may consider yourself powerful, but power is a fragile thing and there is always someone who is more powerful. I’ve dealt with brutes like you my whole life and you cannot imagine how easy it is for me to get rid of fucking idiots like you.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He then signaled to his man who was holding Thoros. He knew what to do so Robert just kept staring at Beric with intensity while his man broke a finger of Thoros with the pincer. Beric was more horrified and made another move towards him but this time he was met with a pistol grip to his nose. Robert just smiled at the blood pouring from the poor guy’s nose and just waited for the worker to speak.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Leave Thoros and take me instead.”<br/>
<br/>
“But I won’t. See this is the penance of your disrespectful actions. You will learn to respect me Dondarrion. Thoros will suffer in your stead while you will just watch and do nothing.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Another finger was broken as Thoros screamed in pain while Beric grunted with horror. At that point Robert knew that he was already in the man’s head and he just grinned at him again.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Kill me now, or you will regret it. Just leave him and take me. Kill me.”<br/>
<br/>
“See this is the difference between you and educated men. Only a wildling would act like you do now but I know that you’re no wildling. I won’t kill you ever, but you will suffer the consequences of your actions and it will be worse than death.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He then signaled for the doors to be opened and have his men throw the two workers to the street. They had planted Thoros with a hearing device and the last thing he heard from the worker was that he was mumbling unconsciously that he hadn’t snitched. The Myrish bastard hadn’t talked for sure, but then again Robert didn’t really need him to. He then took out his phone and called Ramsay to ask for an update but his apprentice cut the conversation short, using the same sentence he used the last time he saw him.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I have a she-bear I need to deal with.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
This girl lived in a shit neighborhood, but it didn’t trouble Ramsay one bit.<br/>
<br/>
After all, he knew all too well about shit neighborhoods. He was born in a shittier place than the shittiest place in King’s Landing, spent all his life in shitty places under the guidance of Robert Baratheon and only after some time he was taught to adapt to the city life. His surroundings never bothered him as he practically didn’t give a shit about anyone else but himself. Still, this girl had intrigued him as she was the first one to get the best of him in a long long while. He knew that extreme situations called for extreme measures and this all started with monitoring. He had rented an apartment from across the building so that he could actually monitor the situation 24/7. Installing cameras and receivers at her floor while the bitch wasn’t home hadn’t been a big deal but then she had gone to this tech-store to buy something for himself as well, just to check out the people she was dealing with.<br/>
<br/>
He watched the screen with intent, switching from camera to camera, zooming in and out occasionally. Finally the bitch had arrived at home and was dealing with her cat again. She had stopped twice at her downstairs neighbor’s door before heading home and that he hadn’t understood why. She then took whatever that was she bought from the store and unpacked it. Ramsay zoomed in to better understand what it was but it was dark and the visual was blurry so he couldn’t see. Then he noticed Mormont walking towards the door and exiting her apartment and immediately switched to the outside camera. She rushed to downstairs and Ramsay was regretting that he didn’t install any cameras downstairs and muttered a curse. He then saw Mormont running back upstairs again, entering her apartment and grabbing a big bag, which looked like a body-bag. She again disappeared and this time returned slowly, dragging something heavy with her. He completely fliipped at the scene, dying to figure out what the bitch was doing. After a while of watching, he decided that his next move would be to install a few more cameras and receivers in the fucking building and started recording to not to miss anything while he was out, buying more stuff.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
He returned home with thoughts in his mind.<br/>
<br/>
Seeing Grenn and Pyp had brought old memories to him, but there were a few troubling things they had said to him. The economical situation in Winterfell apparently wasn’t so good, but then again when he thought of it, the country’s situation always troubled him in that sense. Jon had been a rich-kid, his father had pretty much given him everything and when he was very young, he had acted like a spoilt brat every now and then. It was the fight for survival in King’s Landing that had molded him into the man he was today. He knew he needed to do something about it, but then a few other things that Grenn mentioned came into his mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Osha and I got married a couple years back. Your late father helped us with all the drama and poverty.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Seemed like Ned Stark had helped everyone but him and he was acting like an angry little twat because of that. When he had first came back to Winterfell before his father died, he had promised himself to be the bigger man and act like it. He was going to let go of this restaurant issue and let them keep it, because he wanted no part of it and it was the right thing to do. He just wanted to make sure that Dany would be stable enough to manage the whole thing by herself. What had happened with her still troubled him and they needed to talk about things before he returned to King’s Landing. He parked the car and noticed Jory leaving the storage room, with Rodrik next to him. Jory rushed to open his door and he apparently had to let him do that so he let things be. Uncle and nephew, they looked like they were awaiting orders and Jon hated all this. Still, he chuckled to himseld and turned to the men.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“This is not the military and I’m not gonna say ‘at ease’ for you to go back to your daily routine.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jory looked a little embarrassed, while Rodrik was sincerely smiling at him. This was the kind of humor that both Cassells enjoyed while he lived here, as he was always friendly towards them. Jory then broke the silence and started explaining why they were there.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Uhm actually Mr. Stark, we had things that we needed to ask you. It’s almost harvest time and the seasonal-workers had asked whether they were to come and start working the fields.”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course Jory, this isn’t even a question. Still, bring me the hotheads; I know there are a few. Those</em> <em>fuckers always ask for more money and they bring incompetent relatives to do the work. That, I won’t accept.”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course Mr. Stark. Anything else?”<br/>
<br/>
“Is that the Ford 5000?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes sir.”  </em><br/>
<br/>
<em>“Alright, start it up and move out then, I’d like to have some fun with it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Once the tractor was up and running, Jon climbed on it and slowly made his way out to the fields. He saw his aunt smiling at him by the patio and then saw Dany came and join her side as well. He toured around a little and then stopped near them and hopped down from the tractor. He looked at his aunt, who was on the verge of exploding with laughter and asked.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Did you remember?”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course I did, how could I forget?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
(17 years ago)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>He and Wolkan were standing next to the seasonal workers and Jon was complaining to Wolkan about how these workers weren’t getting paid enough, while Wolkan was opposing him that Ned Stark paid them more than anyone else did and this wasn’t his business to interfere. He then saw his father approaching with arms behind his back. That was a sight of terror, as that meant Ned Stark was strictly about business. Wolkan chased him away and he immediately ran home to be welcomed by his aunt at the patio.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Go get dressed, there will be the harvest feast in a few hours.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not joining, I have an exam tomorrow.”<br/>
<br/>
“Your father will expect you to be there Jon, so don’t make me repeat. Go get dressed and dress nicely.”<br/>
<br/>
“Aunt Lyanna who cares about the harvest feast? It’s stupid and useless.”<br/>
<br/>
“Very well, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you when Ned gets angry.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She then left and Jon was all alone outside. He saw the tractor nearby the storage unit and quickly headed that way. He started the tractor and rolled around in circles for a while, only for Jory to come and shout behind him. It was barely audible what he was saying due to the noise but apparently the tractor needed to be fixed and something was wrong with the brakes. He then saw his father’s jeep approaching and he waved to him from the top of the tractor, only to lose control. He headed straight towards the barn and crashed into the sacks of flour with a roar. He was covered in all white as Ned entered the barn, calling him a little shit. Wolkan and Rodrik interfered as he slid out from the barn, looking like a ghost.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
(Present Day)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em>“He was so angry that we had to hide you from Ned for three days.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Even Dany was laughing heartily at the story. Before he could say anything, Ashara came running from the inside and hugged him. Jon smiled at the little girl and picked him up immediately. He looked at Dany as she hesitated for a moment but then with a sincere smile on her face, she stepped back. He ruffled the little girl’s hair and asked her if she was feeling okay and eating properly.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>We talked about food and I promised to eat if you make me pasta.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, but pasta twice a day is a little unhealthy don’t you think? Besides, I can smell some wonderful food being prepared already. We don’t want to upset Aunt Lyanna, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“Right, we should eat what is being prepared.”<br/>
<br/>
“Excellent! I will still make you pasta later though, I promise.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The little girl hugged him and he was caught off-guard. Jon wasn’t used to unconditional love, as almost nobody, not even his aunt, had treated him the way this little girl was treating him. She then looked at his eyes and smiled.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Will you take me on for a ride?”<br/>
<br/>
“Wow, on the tractor? Only if your mother allows it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Dany looked like she wasn’t having it though as she interfered this time, but the little girl stopped her mother in her tracks.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You let me go with Uncle Ned. Why can’t I go with Jon?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon laughed heartily at this comment as he hugged the little girl and started walking towards the tractor again. Despite protests from Dany, they climbed carefully on top of the tractor and Jon started the engine once more. He mouthed to Dany that he would be careful and held little Ashara dearly while slowly making circles around Dany, who had run to the field to be close to them. Ashara was laughing and having fun for sure and for once in so long, he felt like a little kid himself. After a few more circles, he stopped and signaled for Jory to come and take the vehicle. He stepped down and sent Ashara to her mother, who then sent her indoors to wash-up. She smiled and silently thanked him, which he returned with a nod. They walked towards Lyanna who was smiling from ear to ear as she was watching them. Jon then looked around and made sure that they were in private and started talking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Now I told Jory that the seasonal workers should come and start working the crops. I don’t know whether you want to host an early harvest feast this year, but I didn’t give any orders about that. It might be inappropriate so soon after a big loss. Still, I don’t want anything to change workwise and everything should continue the way it is.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He noticed Dany gasping in shock while his aunt just smiled and nodded. Dany was looking at him like she had seen a ghost and his aunt clearly didn’t know how to respond. This bugged him a little but he didn’t just want to stand there awkwardly either.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well alright, if there are no objections, I’d like to wash up and then I’ll meet you two at the dinner table.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He left without waiting for an answer and headed straight to his room. He took another quick shower and dressed himself in casual clothing. Once he looked himself in the mirror, he noticed a strange smell in the room. There was a hint of perfume here and none of the servatns were wealthy enough to afford that kind of stuff. For a moment he thought Dany had entered his room but then he thought that he was imagining things. He looked at the mirror once more and left the room. Heading downstairs, he found the table already set and lots of his favorites had been made. There was hummus, fresh baked cheesebread, few of the spicy Dornish sauces he liked so much and then the Skagosi stew was brought to the table. Jon’s mouth watered at the sight and he turned to his aunt.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You arranged for my favorites to be made.”<br/>
<br/>
“Not just me, Dany helped too.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well then, thank you both. Let’s eat, I’m starving!”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They ate in silence while every now and then his eyes were locked on the empty seat at the head of the table. Nobody sat there since his father died and he didn’t feel like taking it either. It was symbolic of course but he tried to show the old man’s memory some respect, as in his mind, even though he was gone, they were on the path to recovery. He then looked at the table and initiated the casual conversation<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So I’m heading to Last Hearth tomorrow.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why is that?”<br/>
<br/>
“I have business to handle there, won’t take too long though. I’ll be back by the evening latest.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Then Dany just couldn’t contain herself and jumped in.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Actually I also wanted to go but didn’t know if it was appropriate at the time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why wouldn’t it be appropriate, aren’t you your own woman?”<br/>
<br/>
“No it’s not about that, see Ned had bought a horse there and…”<br/>
<br/>
“My father bought a horse?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, for me actually.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, that’s nice of him to do so. Well you can come with, I’ll leave around 9 in the morning if it isn’t too early for you.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s fine by me. Can we leave Ashara to the Seaworths so she can be with Shireen?”<br/>
<br/>
“Absolutely.”<br/>
</em><br/>
There was another comfortable silence after that and Jon decided that he wasn’t going to feel scorned about the events of the past; he was going to forgive what could be forgiven and move on. The dead couldn’t apologize, so there was no point in being a little bitch. Just when these warm thoughts surrounded him and he was going to say that he was going to leave everything untouched, his aunt spoke and made a mess out of everything.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So Dany, Jon is thinking of either closing or selling the restaurant.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>A thunderous slap hit him across the face that caught him totally off-guard. He noticed Dany fuming with anger as she slapped him again, this time with her injured hand and it looked like she hurt herself and just when Jon was about to ask her if she was okay, she tried to slap him once more. This time he was prepared and he just blocked the slap effortlessly. He just looked at her calmly and then weakly pushed her away so that there would be distance between them. She was shouting and cursing at him and Jon just stood there and absorbed it all. Once it started getting out of control, he just instinctively brought his hands together behind his back and stared at her intensely. At that sight she stopped for a moment and just when it was about to start once again, Jon didn’t let that happen.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>QUIET!”</em><br/>
<br/>
He then turned to his aunt, who looked rather pleased with the whole thing. That sight pissed him off really much and he unleashed the horror onto the old woman.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You… You are given this mansion, but this is the last time you are overstepping your boundaries. My father might have given you ways out, but I will not. I won’t stand ANY BACKSTABBING, just because you don’t agree with my ways.”<br/>
<br/>
“But Jon…”<br/>
<br/>
“QUIET! I’m still not done and you will wait as I speak. You have nothing to do with that restaurant and you will have nothing to do with that restaurant. This is the last time I’m having any conflict with you on this matter, because after tonight, there will be no conflict left to resolve.”</em><br/>
<br/>
He then turned to Dany, who was watching him in absolute shock.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>And you, I understand your reaction and I have no intention to harm you. Once you calm down, meet me in the Godswood and we will talk.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
Nights like these make her feel like a trophy-wife.<br/>
<br/>
Then again, Ellaria Sand was nobody’s wife. She did what she liked and she liked the luxuries of a wealthy life. This wonderfull jazz concert they were attending was a private show for the rich of the city and she loved it. She leaned in towards Tywin once the intermission came and the two shared a kiss. She feared that Oberyn would attend this event as he was a big fan of jazz but luckily he was nowhere to be found. The last thing she wanted was a run-in with him on this fine night. Then one of Tywin’s dogs came by the table and her mood immediately soured.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Mr. Lannister, Ms. Sand, have a nice evening.”<br/>
<br/>
“What is it Gendry? You have fifteen minutes so listen carefully. Now you know why I merged with Martell and you know why you are a part of this organization”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes Mr. Lannister.”<br/>
<br/>
“You lost control over Oberyn and your friend Jon has accessed information that he has no right to know. Tell him that I want to meet with him and he will bring whatever he has to me. Is he still in Winterfell?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes sir.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good, so this is your chance. Arrange the meeting and bring him to me. Dismissed.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Ellaria watched as the young man just bowed and rushed towards the bar, downing a few shots to calm his nerves. Little shits like this Gendry always bothered her and knowing that her daughter had to deal with these people was a little discomfort she had to deal with. She held Tywin’s hand as a familiar face entered the lounge, one she truly despised with all her heart. He turned towards their table, with this fancy prostitute-like woman by his side and greeted Tywin only. He refrained from making eye contact with her and she looked away instantly. They chatted about the congress in Pentos and finally bidding them a nice evening, that bastard turned around and settled into his table. Tywin looked uncomfortable as he turned towards her and started explaining.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>That bastard has made a deal with the Faceless Men. He has the Iron Bank’s backing on the deal as well.”<br/>
<br/>
“That means I’m on top of the kill-list with you.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know who tops the list, but I’m going to take everything from him. I have the power and the money to do that.”<br/>
<br/>
“He won’t let you. He’ll kill himself if you even attempt to do that. Our hands are tied and you know it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There was an uncomfortable silence after she spoke and when she raised her head, she noticed Oberyn looking at her with hate in his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
That wasn’t a scene she was expecting to witness.<br/>
<br/>
Within mere minutes, she had slapped the man twice and he hadn’t flinched. Then he had scolded her like a little child, just like Ned would do when he got mad. Still, there were differences between them and clearly she wasn’t the main target of his anger. She wasn’t held responsible for the actions and he was even understanding towards her. Once the dust had settled, she made sure Ashara was occupied with Beth and she walked towards the Godswood to find him sitting there. He had brought another seat just for her. There was a small mid-table between the seats with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses on top of it. When he noticed she was approaching, he stood up and waited for her to get closer. But then a snow-white pup started growling from behind him and stepped right in front of him and made a move towards her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Ghost, to me.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The pup stopped in his tracks and returned to his master. Dany was shocked at the sight, shocked at the control he had over the pup. He couldn’t have been training the dog but seemingly there was some sort of mutual understanding between them.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Good boy. Behave now and you’ll get some treats.”</em><br/>
<br/>
The dog just lied down next to his seat and he then gestured for her to sit down and only sat down himself after she was comfortably seated. He was acting like a gentleman and she didn’t know how to feel about this whole thing. He generously poured some whiskey for both of them and offered her a cigarette. He lit hers and then lit one for himself and after the first puff, he started talking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I don’t want you to interrupt me until I’m done. I know that you ain’t got all night and neither do I. Plus there is still the trip to Last Hearth tomorrow and I don’t want any tension during that. Are we clear so far?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, please go on.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good. Now about the restaurant, I had actually come to a decision before my aunt screwed things up on my behalf. Still, that little incident isn’t going to change my mind. My initial reaction was to burn everything to the ground but then I had to come here and face the music and my perspective changed. Now, I still want no part of the restaurant as in management and I want you to continue as manager.”<br/>
<br/>
“Jon…”<br/>
<br/>
“I said no interruptions. Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m going to leave you everything to change for yourself. You are clearly troubled with many things and we’re not going to get into those now. I’m not a shrink and we will only talk about those things if you feel comfortable about them. Still, I have one condition about this whole restaurant ownership issue.”<br/>
<br/>
“What is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“I will stay here until I’m certain that you are fully yourself and comfortable with everything. No panic attacks, no crisis, no meltdowns… Therefore I will help you out during this transitional period and then will return to King’s Landing. I still want you to send me the monthly financial reports and I want this business to continue in the right way, like my father always imagined.”<br/>
<br/>
“Those are agreeable terms I guess.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good. Do we have a deal Ms. Storm?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes we do Mr. Stark.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He was kind enough to extend his left hand so that he wouldn’t squeeze her already injured hand. After the handshake, he just downed his glass and stood up with the dog following him from a close distance. She had somehow expected more out of this, some part of her had wanted him to make a move but he clearly wasn’t having it. He left without saying another word as Dany for the first time couldn’t contain herself as she looked at him from behind with awe. She was starting to feel like a little schoolgirl again and she had to pinch herself to regain control. He was kind, caring, always nice to her and recognized her as her own woman but her heart was so torn apart from everything that she couldn’t understand the excitement brewing from within. She finished her glass and entered the house to find Ashara still watching cartoons with Beth, while Lyanna was still seated at the table, sulking. When the old woman noticed her coming in, she smiled but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Lyanna I…”<br/>
<br/>
“No, he was right. I just wasn’t expecting him to explode like that. I thought upon myself that if I guilt-tripped him, he would cave and leave everything be.”<br/>
<br/>
“We talked and he actually did.”<br/>
<br/>
“Did he now? Good for you I guess.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well yes, but that’s not the topic now. Look, I’m beginning to understand him more and more. He just wants direct communication, no games, no backstabbing and no manipulations. He is dunno what, thirty something, right? I guess he wants you to treat him like that, not like he’s a teenager.”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess so. So he was civil towards you?”<br/>
<br/>
“He was very kind, kinder than anyone has been towards me actually.”<br/>
<br/>
“I like that part of him very much.”<br/>
<br/>
“I think you have raised him well. He will come around, I’m sure. Just give him some time.”<br/>
<br/>
“I will. So you two are still heading to Last Hearth tomorrow?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, early in the morning. I’ll put Ashara to bed and then eventually hit the bed myself. Good night.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that she joined Ashara for a while and ended the movie with her. After that she headed upstairs and put Ashara to sleep. She checked her phone, responded to some of the unanswered messages and then checked out the Moat’s social media accounts. There were thousands of messages and mentions from people, expressing their sadness on Ned’s loss. She wanted to respond with a thank you message and started looking for the first picture of Ned she ever drew. After finding it, she tried to take a picture but there wasn’t enough light so she headed to the living room, only to find Jon watching Wall-E and snacking on that bulgur-wheat salad she had made. She gave him a questioning look and with a full mouth, he barely answered.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>It tastes much better after settling for one day.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She laughed inwardly, trying not to give away any emotion but clearly she was blushing. She turned away and seeing Ned’s drawing actually brought back the old feelings. She tried to find the perfect light and the angle for the picture, going as far as climbing on the table to snap the right one. Wondering what in the hell she was doing, Jon got up from the couch and came to look at her nearby the table.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What are you doing?”<br/>
<br/>
“I just wanted to write a thank you message on social media. People have extended their condolences and it would be just kind to answer.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh okay. Did you draw that?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, a few years ago.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m no artist but it looks great.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thanks.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He then returned to the couch, while she just sat there, unable to come with the proper text to accompany the picture. She huffed to herself, smoked a cigarette but still couldn’t gather her mind. Jon was paying her no mind as he kept on watching the movie. She walked towards the tv to catch his attention and within seconds he paused the movie and gave her his attention.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well?”<br/>
<br/>
“I couldn’t come up with a proper text.”<br/>
<br/>
“Just write that he joined the one, whose name was written on water.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>And then he left without saying another word.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
Time was closing in on her.<br/>
<br/>
After hitting the bastard with the stun-gun and despite the protests from the wife and daughter, Lyanna had dragged the abusive husband to her apartment in a body bag and now she was going to need enforcements. Luckily there was one friend whom she could always rely on and judging by the knocking at the door, he had arrived. She rushed to the door and saw Edric waiting right outside. After hugging her longtime friend, she welcomed him in and after making coffee for both, she briefed him about the whole thing.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So let me get this straight. You used a stun-gun on his balls and then beat him down and he’s like what, twice your size? Impressive Mormont, I have to give it to you.”<br/>
<br/>
“You shouldn’t take me lightly ever. Ready to confront the wife and the daughter?”<br/>
<br/>
“If you insist.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They walked downstairs and knocked on the door. The daughter was the one to answer the door and reluctantly she let them in. She could see the fear from the little girl’s eyes but this had to stop. They took the seats from across mother and daughter and without wasting any time, Lyanna started speaking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I hacked your husband’s accoutns, transferred the money to you. Now I also downloaded a few apps on his phone, like the ones associated with terrorist organizations use. He will also be reported to the police as a pedophile if he ever comes close to you, or you come close to him. You have been abused for the time I lived here and I imagine it goes a long way back. You have a new life now and I suggest you make something out of it. Edric here will escort you to a hotel that we know, while you can search for an apartment elsewhere.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The woman stood up from her seat and hugged Lyanna dearly, while muttering thanks continously. She could see the warmth in Edric’s eyes at the scene and without saying much she returned home, while Edric escorted the family to the hotel nearby. Once he was back, they discussed what to do with the man. Edric was in favor of killing and dumping him in Blackwater but Lyanna was no killer and she opposed that. They were going to drag him to the dumpster of the building and only would set him free afterwards. But first, a few threats had to be made and as intimidating as ever, Edric first slapped the man to wake him up and then started making numerous threats.<br/>
<br/>
After blindfolding and gagging him once more, they put the bastard back into the bodybag and called for the elevator. Once the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Lyanna found a tripod and a GoPro attached to it, while it was still recording. She calmly took the camera, looked at it and waved.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Hey babe.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling since yesterday and she was right. She was being watched but there was no point in pretending that everything was normal now. She turned off the camera and took it with the tripod and put them back into the apartment. Edric was looking at her with horror, questioning whether he had been exposed or not. They couldn’t be sure about that so now they needed to be even more careful with what they were doing. Edric got into the elavator with the bastard and they dumped him into the dumpster, only untying one of his hands and got back to the apartment. He was smart enough to not to return to try her chances with her and with the family gone, the bastard needed to get away. Once everything was taken care of, she went to her bedroom and brought out her suitcase. Edric again, gave her a questioning look but didn’t say anything.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’m heading to Winterfell.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why is that?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>We’re making a surprise visit for the boss.”<br/>
<br/>
“This Jon Snow? Why are you so high on a guy like that?”<br/>
<br/>
“His father just died. Plus my mother was from Winterfell. I want to see the place she was from for once.”<br/>
<br/>
“I thought you were from Bear Island?”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s true. I have no connection to Winterfell besides it being my mother’s birthplace. Still, I think there’s a bigger story going on there so I should go.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine. What about this camera thing?”<br/>
<br/>
“I know who that was and you need to be really careful while I’m not here. Don’t show up until I’m back and definitely don’t go visit Mya before I return. Tell her to be careful as well.”<br/>
<br/>
“What have you gotten us into?”<br/>
<br/>
“I will explain when I get back. I don’t have enough data now to give you a proper explanation.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine. Safe travels then. Do you want me to give you a lift to the airport?”<br/>
<br/>
“What did I just say? Just go, I’ll handle the rest on my own.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
He was the first one up in the mansion.<br/>
<br/>
Only a few servants were awake and they were already making the preparations at the kitchens. Jon bid them good morning as they bowed. He still couldn’t accustom himself to this type of behavior and he chuckled at the sight. While they suggested that he sat down and wait for breakfast to be prepared, he waived them off and entered the kitchen himself to whip-up some pancake mix. He knew the smell would soon take over the house as he heard doors starting to open one by one. The first one up was his aunt, while next door to be opened was Dany’s, as Ashara ran straight towards him.”<br/>
<br/>
<em>“MMM PANCAKES!”<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, easy there little one. You don’t want to get the batter all over you, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, I’ll be nicer.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon pulled a seat next to himself and made Ashara stand there as she would help him with the mixture while he was flipping the pancakes. He heard Dany bidding them good morning as she seated herself and Jon couldn’t help but take a jab at her.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Is that how a restaurant manager behaves?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well I’m tired okay. Besides you seem to have everything prepared.”<br/>
<br/>
“I do. So are you going to just sit there and pretend to observe or are you going to go out and sit at the patio to wait for breakfast being served?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He looked back to see a shocked Dany, who clearly wasn’t awake enough to get the humor. He smiled and winked at her and the smile was returned. Ashara still stuck by him as he finished the final pancake and they also made their way to the table. Tormund was approaching the barn when he stepped foot on the patio. He invited him over for breakfast, as they conversed about the flocks and the vet coming in today. Lyanna butted in about food being prepared for the vets and so on, while Dany just listened silently. Tormund then turned to Dany and made her join the conversation as well.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So are you coming today?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, I have business at Last Hearth.”<br/>
<br/>
“Last Hearth, what’s there?”<br/>
<br/>
“Ned had bought a horse for me, I’ll go and see the situation with it.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright then, how are you going there? Not by bus I hope.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, Jon’s taking me.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point Tormund turned to him and smiled.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Look at you King Crow, managing affairs like you were meant to.”<br/>
<br/>
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that Tormund; my days are numbered here anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There was a weird, uncomfortable silence at the table after what he had said. Dany looked down, while Lyanna was visibly upset. He stood up and made his move to go inside and put his suit on. Before entering the house he turned and took one more look at the table. After winking at Dany, he then turned to Tormund.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Make sure the vet feels comfortable around here. The flocks are the most important source for the restaurant.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that, he went indoors and for a brief moment, some part of him wanted to stay here forever.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
It was a fine morning so far.<br/>
<br/>
The weather was nice enough to have breakfast outside; he had enjoyed the perks of being single and rich yet again last night. He had looked confident enough with Tywin and treated his ex-wife like the garbage she was. He then picked a cigarette from the newly bought pack and lit one, as his daughter was slowly leaving the house. She noticed him and decided to at least show the decency to drop by before leaving.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Morning dad.”<br/>
<br/>
“Morning love, what are you up to?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m leaving for Winterfell in a few hours.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh good. Does Jon know that you’re coming?”<br/>
<br/>
“I called him a bunch of times but he didn’t answer.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>That kid and his phone, surprise… He didn’t return my calls either”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Well, I’ll see him tomorrow morning the latest.”<br/>
<br/>
“And Mance?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m thinking on Monday, after seeing Jon. His team is also traveling with me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright that’s fine.”<br/>
<br/>
“Dad… Did you start smoking again?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, what of it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Dunno, it just seemed odd.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, get used to it, I have no intention of quitting once more.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She then hugged and left him. While she was walking away, the last thing he heard was that she had agreed to meet Jon’s team at the airport. It was no later then 9 am but after his daughter left, Oberyn signalled for coffee and liquor to be brought to his study and put out his cigarette. He then moved indoors, checked his mail, looked through some of the news and lit another cigarette. His coffee and liquor was served and the servant immediately left him alone as they all knew that he loved his privacy. After a cup of coffee and two shots of liquor, there was a knock on the door. He told the servant to come in but the woman just opened the door and was trembling with fear.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well, what is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Mr. Martell, a man came by but he didn’t give me his name.”<br/>
<br/>
“What the f…“<br/>
<br/>
</em>In walked, Robert Baratheon, fat and ugly as ever. Oberyn smirked at the older man’s declining health, which reminded him of his own. He gestured for Robert to sit down and asked if he wanted anything to drink. When the fat man told him he was here for business and didn’t want to waste time, he lit another cigarette and signaled him to get on with it.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You and your people fucked up Oberyn.”<br/>
<br/>
“What fuck up are you talking about?”<br/>
<br/>
“Your fuck up is the reason I’m here in King’s Landing, getting business done for you.”<br/>
<br/>
“I remember telling you years ago that this wasn’t in my area of experties.”<br/>
<br/>
“Your workers have fucked up. They are becoming a threat to this organization.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well how about I fire the workers and hire new ones? Would that be fine with you?”<br/>
<br/>
“This is serious Mr. Martell. I can easily destroy you and you know it. You have experienced it first hand before.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s too bad, because I’ve got cancer.”<br/>
<br/>
“What? Is it treatable?”<br/>
<br/>
“Not really. It will be a very, very painful death for me. My long farewell… But I don’t intend to die from cancer.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point, he noticed the fear in the fat man’s eyes. He had caught him off guard and now was going to press the advantage. Nobody messed with Oberyn Martell and lived long enough to brag about it and this guy had already lived long enough.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Now look at you… Robert. Eyeing the door and trying to come up with an excuse to get out of here. Let me help you then. You have things to attend in the ministry and then you need to get back to Storm’s End for personal reasons. Sadly, the lunch that you, me and Tywin were going to have is cancelled because both of you have some issues to attend to.”<br/>
<br/>
“I really… should… go.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine fine, whatever; you know where the door is. See yourself out, like the way you helped yourself in.”<br/>
<br/>
“I will. There is one thing I’ll ask from you though. Stay neutral and let us handle this.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t fucking care how you handle it, as long as I don’t need to look at your smug face any longer. Get out.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The fat man had shown amazing quickness for his size while leaving the room. Oberyn then laughed to himself and lit another cigarette.<br/>
<br/>
<em><br/>
(3 days ago)<br/>
<br/>
</em><br/>
“<em>Well go on Pycelle, tell me what’s wrong.”<br/>
<br/>
“Third phase… We need to get started with chemo…”<br/>
<br/>
“No fucking way. I won’t be the man who will shit his bed while trying to extend his life. Tell me how much I have left.”<br/>
<br/>
“With a healthy diet, no stress and sterile, happy life… around a year.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good. I trust you have your cigarettes with you. Can I bum one?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>(Present Day)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Now he had nothing to lose and they were going to pay. He knew that Robert was going to go crying to Tywin immediately and that bitch Ellaria would know about it sooner or later. He needed to hide this as much as he could from Ari, while he definitely needed Jon to come back so he could understand his position within all this.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
She wanted to look her absolute best.<br/>
<br/>
She knew she wouldn’t be able to wear a nightgown or something too classy, but still, she could look very good. She picked a classy top with a little clevage, that didn’t reveal much but just enough and combined it with tight pants which brought out her body. She wanted to wear heels at first but then remembered that they would be visiting horses so it was probably a bad idea. After putting slight make up on and letting her hair loose, she looked at the mirror and was satisfied with what she saw. Then her daughter asked the one question that really bummed her out.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Are you trying to look pretty for Jon?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She turned back to her daughter with horror and couldn’t talk for a moment. Was she trying to look pretty for Jon? Maybe she was, but then again was Jon actually looking at her like that? He kept on mentioning that his time here was limited but had promised to stay until she was all better. She gathered herself from her thoughts and then spoke.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>No love, I need to look classy since this is for business.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm okay, but it’s nice that you’re paying attention to yourself. You are beautiful mommy.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>And came the heartmelt. Children were always innocent but very direct at the same time. She noticed that Jon had the same approach but maybe he wasn’t always innocent. A part of her hoped that he wasn’t that innocent when it came to other affairs but she had to stop herself from thinking about those things now. She told Ashara to get up as they were leaving. Jon was calmly giving orders to the vets that arrived and also making sure that Tormund would stick with them throughout the process. He then turned to notice her and for a brief moment Dany was struck. He had left his hair loose, his curls were all over and he looked dashing in his suit. He smiled at her and immediately complimented her on her looks.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Wow you look… stunning.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thank you. Shall we?”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm yeah… let me just deliver the final instructions and I’ll be right with you.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She walked to the car with Ashara and had her settled in. Then she took her seat and waited for Jon, who was muttering to himself as he was approaching the car. He didn’t necessarily look troubled but was somehow looked bothered by something. She turned to him as he started the engine and just decided to ask.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Something wrong?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not really. I mean I was sipping champagne with a CEO last week this time and just moments ago I was dealing with a sick flock of sheep.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She couldn’t help but laugh at that exclamation as they got going. They dropped by the Seaworths to drop of Ashara. After warning Ashara to be nice with Shireen, she got out of the car and hugged Marya. Jon and Davos were exchanging something through their phones while Marya pulled her aside with a questioning look on her face.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What’s this all about?”<br/>
<br/>
“I have business at Last Hearth and he’s nice enough to give me a ride.”<br/>
<br/>
“Is he nice enough to you otherwise? Davos told me about his initial decision with the restaurant…”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh no, that’s all worked out. He wants me to manage it, but still report him the finances so nothing goes bankrupt.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s wise. I’m glad he’s nice to you, he was always a good kid.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I think you all are missing that he’s no kid anymore. Last night he scolded Lyanna for treating him like a kid and you’re not so far away from getting a scolding if you keep up the attitude.”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess you’re right, sometimes we all forget that he’s a grown man.”<br/>
<br/>
“Everyone should act like it if you ask me. He’s generally nice to all of you, despite not liking all of you that much.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Marya just nodded as they turned to look at Jon and Davos, who had just finished exchanging data via their phones. Davos then turned at her and with a smile on his face; he asked what was up at Last Hearth.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’m going to check on the horse that Ned purchased.</em> <em>Want to come with?”<br/>
<br/>
“No not really, I don’t like horses anyway…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Chuckling inwardly, Dany nodded at the older man as Jon signaled that it was their cue to leave. They walked back to the car and immediately Jon started laughing.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What are you laughing at?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t like horses anyway, what a terrible liar.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh you don’t say! Actually we caught him at the races last week.”<br/>
<br/>
“Did you now? Oh I bet Marya’s going to kick his ass so badly that I actually want to see it happening.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah yeah, ‘I don’t like horses’ hahah what a miserable liar he was.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon was laughing loudly to her Davos imitation but his eyes were on the road. After the laughter died they both went silent for a while but it was a comfortable silence. At least until his phone started ringing that was. The screen read Marge and he huffed after seeing that. His hand reached for the phone first but then he refrained from it and pulled over to answer his phone. Who was this Marge anyway? Maybe he had a girlfriend that he hadn’t talked about? For a brief moment she felt insanely jealous about this whole thing and cursed inwardly. She wasn’t even paying attention to what they were talking about until he raised his voice.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>YOU GUYS ARE COMING TO WINTERFELL? WHAT THE… Well okay, I’m not letting any of you to stay in a hotel. There are plenty of rooms in the mansion, as long as it is just you, Sam and Lyanna. Lyanna is arriving later? Okay then I’ll pick her up. Fine fine, I’ll make the arrangements sure. Yeah just stop talking for a second and yes I’ll have you picked up from the airport okay. Text me the flight info and all before you take off. I have a meeting I need to attend so I cannot take calls. Yeah alright alright, I’m not interested in that. Look I have to drive now okay, I’ll talk to you later.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There was a very brief silence as he waited for the info to arrive and he forwarded the info to someone she couldn’t see the name of. He then turned to her and looked at her warmly. It looked like he was about to ask something and it turned out that she wasn’t wrong.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“My team of assistants are coming to Winterfell later today. Can you call the mansion about the accomodations?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure I can. So this Marge is…”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh Marge is my personal assistant. I’m quite sure you’ll like her, very sure that she’ll like you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why did you say that?”<br/>
<br/>
“You are her type. She admires confident, strong women.”<br/>
<br/>
“You think I’m confident and strong?”<br/>
<br/>
“I do actually. Living in my father’s shadow does that to people, I get it. You often forget who you are because he’s everywhere and he takes over everything. When he’s not with you though, then you’ll find yourself at your best.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>That was a lot coming from him and she knew that he didn’t mean it in a bad way. It was true what he said and the more she thought of it the more it made sense. She smiled at herself and then smiled at him.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I guess you’re right, I never thought about it like that before.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s hard to think like that when he’s around and overshadowing everything. I don’t mean it in a bad way though, you got that, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“No no, I get it. Is it why you’re treating me like this then?”<br/>
<br/>
“Treating you like what?”<br/>
<br/>
“That I have superpowers.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well clearly you do have superpowers if you got my father to like you that much.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, I didn’t mean it like that, I just mea…”<br/>
<br/>
“Relax, I’m just teasing you. We both have a lot to learn from each other and in time we will. I’m somehow looking forward to hearing about his positive side that I never got to see. Not sure if you want to learn about his strict and abusive ways though.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe I really don’t. Then again I’m kinda glad you turned out like this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Like what?”<br/>
<br/>
“You are very similar to him, but then again you’re completely different.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll take that. Hey, I was just wondering… Between the horse thing and my meeting, we have some time to kill. I’d like to take you to lunch if that’s okay.”</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>“Are you asking me on a date?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I’d pick a better place for a date I can assure you. I just don’t want you to skip any meals after the whole you know...”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t speak for a moment. For the briefest of moments she had the feeling that he was asking her out but then again he was actually right. None of the restaurants in Last Hearth were nowhere near good enough for a first-date anyway. She chuckled to herself and nodded in approval, though that didn’t keep him from smiling and teasing her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I could of course ask you out on a date at a later time if that’s what you want.”<br/>
<br/>
“Who told you that I wanted that or even would say yes?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He was silent after that as he just nodded and smiled once more, before carefully parking the car near the farm. Again the perfect gentleman he was, he opened her door first and let her out. Greatjon Umber welcomed them at the gate and shook hands with Jon, offering his condolences. Dany quickly mentioned to the man that she was here for her horse and she was immediately guided towards the barn where he was staying at. She checked on the horse, patted him a little and just forgot about the whole world while she was at it. Jon’s voice was what brought her back to the world.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Hey, you should come and see this.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They were looking at a huge design of an extra farm house to be built wihtin the mansion land. Before dying, Ned had it drawn but of course it was never brought to life after his passing. Dany got insanely emotional just by looking at the design, while Jon had almost no emotion on his face. Still, he was the owner of the land and it would be out of turn for her to speak so she kept her mouth shut. After looking at the design in detail, Jon then turned to Umber and shared his thoughts.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>This looks feasible to me but then again I want a bigger area for the horses, with fences and all. We want Dany’s horse brought back to Winterfell as quickly as possible so she doesn’t have to commit to Last Hearth all the time while managing the restaurant. To my understanding my father made a deal with your son, right? Tell him to call Tormund from the Moat and discuss the details with all the flocks and stuff because that’s his speciality. I won’t be around all the time but still, do let me know about the process and when I’m not around, Dany here is the boss.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Understood Mr. Stark. Just one thing though, old Ned here had worked through this with an architecht, the Manderly girl who was interning here. Do you want her sent to Winterfell for the project or will you be hiring your own?”<br/>
<br/>
“No no, looks like this will be her big break, don’t take that away from her. Send her as quickly as possible though. I would like to meet with her while I’m still in Winterfell.”<br/>
<br/>
“Very well. Would you guys want to eat here before going back?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point she just looked at Jon, hoping that he would politely decline. Luckily he then turned to her and saw her face and then turned back to Umber again.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I still have an appointment nearby so we should get going. Maybe next time though.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Disaster was averted as she really didn’t want to eat here at the time. This was the place that Ned had his last meal and she didn’t feel ready to just sit down and pretend everything was okay. Her mood had soured, but she didn’t want Jon to figure out anything so she tried to keep a brave face but unlucky for her, he was very aware of sudden changes like these and she was caught.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What was that all about? I mean I didn’t even want to sit and eat there anyway but clearly something was wrong. What is it? You don’t want them working the construction? Just tell me.”<br/>
<br/>
“No no, it’s nothing like that. It’s just… Ned and I were here on the day he died. He had his last meal there and I felt like… I felt like crap when I just imagined sitting there and eating.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh… That much I understand. Alright then alright, I’m taking you to this small local diner that makes dumplings.”<br/>
<br/>
“Dumplings? How did y…”<br/>
<br/>
“Relax, your daughter told me. And hey, I was wondering… What did you name the horse?”<br/>
<br/>
“The horse? Oh, I went Valyrian. His name is Rhaegal.”</em><br/>
<br/>
He then went silent for a brief moment she smiled to herself and actually realized that how good he was with Ashara. Her daughter adored the man for some reason she didn’t understand and he clearly had a good effect on her as well. He led them to this really small local diner, they sat down, ordered the food and boy it was really delicious. She was full and finally happy, but then the pain returned to her hand as she excused herself and went to the bathroom. She washed her face, took a painkiller and just when she was about to walk out, she noticed Jon was standing right at the entrance. She tried to hide her hand but them took it and looked at her in a very serious manner.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>We’re going to talk about this sooner or later.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>After maybe two minutes in the bathroom, he also returned to the table. Dany felt uncomfortable, so weird that it was almost like the first time she had met Ned. Jon then took her hand and as a reflex she tried to pull away. He again reached for her but this time asked nicely as well. Finally she decided to not to fight it and put her arm on the table for him to see. The look on his face changed and suddenly his eyes were very soft. He then stopped looking at her hand but looked at her eyes intensely.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’m not going to ask what happened, but I am going to ask why it hasn’t been fixed yet. I know doctors in King’s Landing who can fix this. I can take you there for surg…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Right at the very moment she was saved by the check arriving. Jon gave the waiter his card and left a healthy tip in the tipbox as they rose from their seats. He took the card back on their way out and they wandered around for a little. He then stopped in front of the tech-store and after carefully inspecting some of the things; he walked inside, asking her to follow him. He stopped in front of a big screen tv and turned to her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Do you think it’s too big for the living room?”<br/>
<br/>
“What living room? Do you mean the mansion?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well you haven’t seen my living room now, have you? Of course I mean the mansion.”<br/>
<br/>
“But there is a tv there and we don’t need a new one.”<br/>
<br/>
“Nonsense, the tv there is old, plus it’s not smart.”<br/>
<br/>
“But I don’t watch tv, why do I care?”<br/>
<br/>
“Your daughter uses it and it needs to be something up to date so she can actually benefit from the technology. So back to my question, is this too big or?”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess it’s fine.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright then, we’ll take it.”<br/>
<br/>
“WHAT? You’re such a show-off.”<br/>
<br/>
“Nonsense, I’m just buying something that the mansion needs and which will be put to good use.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He then paid for this insanely expensive tv, after talking with the customer service and figuring out that this shop had another station in Winterfell, he had one ordered to be delivered to the mansion from the Winterfell station. They got back into the car and drove for a short time and arrived at his destination this time. They walked into a luxurious office, where they were welcomed at the door. Jon then turned to her and offered her a seat and explained the situation.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>This meeting will last half an hour at most. Will you be comfortable here?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah sure, I can call Marya and check how Ashara is doing actually.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright, I’ll be back once I’m done.”</em><br/>
<br/>
With that he left and she was alone for a short while. She then called Marya to check on Ashara and after a little chit-chat with her daughter; it was gossip time with Marya.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I couldn’t believe my eyes. He just out of the blue, bought a bigscreen that would cost as much as a car.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well that’s a good thing.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why exactly that is a good thing?”<br/>
<br/>
“Him investing for the mansion is good. That means he either means to stay longer or plans to visit more often. It’s good for everyone around. There will be things that you might refrain from doing, things that he won’t hesitate to get his hands dirty about.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe you’re right. It’s somehow very convinient to have him around. He effortlessly deals with everything around him. It’s like he was built for this you know…”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t forget that Ned groomed him for that all his life, while you were with him for what, four or five years? Of course he’s a natural at this. Don’t be jealous.”<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, I’m not jealous.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh relax, I’m just teasing you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright good to know… Hey, his meeting is done, I should get going. I’ll see you when we come back to pick up Ashara.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon then left the office with a familiar face. She hadn’t been here before and hadn’t noticed that they were visiting Varys. Jon looked absolutely rattled for the first time since she met him and his mind was definitely somewhere else. Once noticing her, Varys immediately came to say hi and happily added that he was glad that Jon was taking care of her. Then he mentioned about similar cases, which seemed to puzzle Jon even more. He looked troubled and she didn’t know how to handle the situation.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
Finally they had arrived at Winterfell.<br/>
<br/>
It was Marge’s first time in Winterfell, while Sam had been here for military service before. Arianne on the other hand looked insanely uncomfortable with the whole situation. Marge knew that she was here out of duty and she also knew about her huge crush on her boss. Once they took their suitcases and exited the airport, a huge van was waiting for them with a man holding a sign which read Margaery Tyrell. So her boss was going all out with showing off again and the thought of it made her chuckle. Despite them insisting, Arianne took a cab straight to the hotel and chose not to come with them to the mansion. It was Edmure Tully of the Moat who came to pick them up and after brief introductions; they were on the road to the famous mansion. She called Jon but he didn’t pick up, only for her to remember about his meeting and cursing inwardly.<br/>
<br/>
There was no traffic at all when compared to King’s Landing and they had arrived at the mansion in no time. There were already preparations being made for them as servants rushed to the gate to pick up the suitcases while Edmure led them to the house. Lyanna Stark was standing at the patio and looking at them with warm eyes. She hugged the old woman dearly and was hugged back in return as Marge was finally able to bring the face together with the voice. Sam was a little hesitant at first but soon after, she noticed her co-worker getting comfortable, especially with all the cookies and pastries being served. Once the tea arrived and everyone was comfortable, Lyanna Stark leaned back on her chair and turned towards her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So tell me, how is he at work?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
“<em>A container full with dead bodies? Oh shit. This sounds bad Jon.”<br/>
<br/>
“I know, tell me about it. I didn’t know what to do and since you know, you were with the police once, I thought there was nobody better to ask about this whole thing.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good that you did. Now look, a few years ago there were a few other incidents like these. I checked a few of those but all those cases went cold and went nowhere. I retired soon after so I cannot say anything for sure, though I know the guys in Blackwater and I’ll sniff around for you to see if we can have something. The guy at the head of KL is a dipshit, but there are other ones, honest cops who can actually dig into this thing. I’ll try to fetch you up with one. I’ll be visiting King’s Landing next week so, how about then?”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s sounds fine to me. Thank you Mr. Varys, I appreciate the help a lot.”<br/>
<br/>
“Anything for Ned’s son, don’t worry.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that, they left his office. Dany was waiting for him to be finished and when she saw them, she immediately rose from her seat. To his surprise, Varys went to greet her and told him that how happy he was about him taking care of her now that Ned was gone and so on. He then turned to him and mumbled something about actually wanting to ask Jon if he knew about something, which was a very similar case, which confused the hell out of him. Varys said goodbye to Dany as she walked towards the elevator but then held Jon for a brief moment.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’m really glad you’re taking care of her. She has become a daughter to almost all of us thanks to Ned. Protect her at all costs.”</em><br/>
<br/>
He just nodded to the old man and left towards the elevator. Dany was waiting for the elevator and there was a smile on her face, that made him feel more comfortable. This talk of similar cases was also bugging him and he knew that he was going to have to go behind Dany’s back and put Mormont to work on her. He hated the feeling as thoughts overwhelmed him and he was brought back to life by Dany’s voice.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Are you okay?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah yeah I’m fine, just a little tired is all. Ready to head for the airport?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh right, we were picking up your assistant. Sure, let’s go.”<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, do you mind if I stop by the harbor for a quick thing before we go to the airport?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, no harbor please.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why? What’s the matter?”<br/>
<br/>
“JUST PLEASE. NO HARBOR.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>It looked and felt like the exact same moment in the hospital. Jon just held Dany for a brief moment to see that her eyes were flooded with tears. He didn’t want her to suffer from another panic attack so he kept holding her, told her to breathe and muttered that everything was okay. She finally eased into his arms and hugged him and since their first encounter, Jon felt that Dany had started to trust him.<br/>
<br/>
They rode in silence as Dany just watched the road until they reached the airport. They picked up Lyanna as Jon introduced the two ladies and then went on to the Seaworths to pick up Ashara before heading home. After finally convincing Davos and Marya to join them at the mansion, they made their way home and were finally able to relax. Lots of food had been prepared, drinks were flowing and for a brief moment Jon felt that everything was fine with the world. He felt carefree, safe and loved as people around him were joking and having fun. He then heard tires screeching from the main gate as a car made its way up towards the house, with the main beam still pointing towards them. The engine stopped, a man got out of the car and finally turned off the fucking main beam. He approached closer with flowers in hand and finally Jon was able to see that it was Ramsay Bolton, who just crashed the scene with the simplest of introductions.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Good evening, I hope I’m not disturbing any of you…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He stared deep into the eyes of the bastard, who first looked at him, then turned to Marge, Sam and finally locked eyes with Lyanna Mormont, who was coldly staring back at Ramsay.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So Ramsay vs Lyanna is on. This is going to be the main subplot in this story, as tensions will rise and moves will be made. We'll get more on Mormont in the upcoming chapters, while Ramsay's background in detail will arrive a few chapters later.</p><p>Jon and Dany's interactions will get fluffier from this point on, as mutual trust is being built between the two. I need to remind you all that there is still a long way to go and we are not even halfway through the original drafts I had prepared. The chapters are ending up way longer than I originally thought but it doesn't feel right if I leave out any details, hence the longer chapters.</p><p>Receiving detailed and constructive comments made me very happy over the last few chapters. Please keep them coming, as they are excellent motivators.</p><p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Secure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The whole chapter takes place in the North this time.</p><p>Ramsay confronts Jon, Mormont digs deeper, Arianne faces Mance, while Dany prepares for her first full day as manager.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello there! This wasn't necessarily a busy week so I'm updating on schedule! Although this chapter is double-checked, do point out mistakes for me to correct!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That motherfucker actually had the nerve to show up at his family home.<br/><br/>This loose cannon of a man had locked eyes with his assistant, who was now a part of this game because of him. He looked around the table and noticing that he had to take the responsibility, he slowly rose from his seat. Without making any eye contact with anyone from his team, he stepped aside and made his way to the patio. Ramsay hadn’t moved one bit and not a single soul was making a sound. Even little Ashara, who was all loud moments ago wasn’t moving and had snuggled next to her mother. With even slower steps, Jon climbed down the stairs of the patio and extended his hand to Ramsay, who now had his usual, sick smile on his face.<br/><br/>“<em>My condolences Jon… The flowers are for your old man. I assumed you had a family cemetery with a Godswood like all Northerners do.”<br/><br/>“Thank you. You were right and these are nice flowers. My old man’s favorites. Please, come and join us.”<br/><br/></em>Leading him towards the patio, Jon then introduced Ramsay to everyone by the table as a co-worker, a personal assistant working for Mr. Martell. Ramsay meanwhile casually took a plate for himself and started filling it up. Jon looked around to see Marge and Sam shifting uncomfortably, while Mormont looking at Ramsay with a smile on her face. Dany was just tending to Ashara, Davos and Marya were back to their discussion with Lyanna so, everything was rather normal. When he took a look at Ramsay, he noticed that the bastard had his eyes on Dany and Ashara and was examining them carefully. He gestured for Ramsay to take a seat and then moved to the head of the table, where he had been sitting at. He so wished that Ramsay wouldn’t speak much, eat in silence and get the fuck out but he was sure that the bastard was here to cause trouble. He got comfortable in his seat as Ramsay settled in, raised his head, turned to his aunt and started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>So you must</em> <em>be the famous Aunt Lyanna he always talks about.”<br/><br/>“Oh he does? I’m happy to hear that.”<br/><br/></em>Then he turned to Davos and kept on.<br/><br/>“<em>You must be Mr. Seaworth.”<br/><br/>“That’s true. Does he talk about me all the time as well?”<br/><br/></em>To that he just smiled and acknowledged Marya as well. The bastard had done his homework and now he was here, showing off. Jon knew finding background on these people didn’t mean shit, but Ramsay was using this as a threat for sure. He was here, trying to send a message to him and he wasn’t going to take it. Not just yet. After a little silence he then turned to Dany who was tending to Ashara and paused.<br/><br/>“<em>I don’t know the lady though. Still, I happen to know everyone else. This is a friendly environment for me, much friendlier than the ones I’m accustomed to.”<br/><br/></em>Everyone smiled at that and for a moment Jon thought maybe Ramsay wasn’t here to make a scene. The dialogues went back to normal and he just kept observing. Mormont was flling up her plate with more tapas and salad, to which Davos reacted immediately.<br/><br/>“<em>This place, the kitchens of the Moat and even the mansion are famous for their meat. Why aren’t you taking some?”<br/><br/></em>Considering that Mormont was socially awkward and would keep on pretending to not like people to avoid such conversation, he interfered.<br/><br/>“<em>Oh no Davos, she’s a vegan. She doesn’t use any animal products.”<br/><br/></em>Mormont smiled at the save, while he noticed the grin on Ramsay’s face.<br/><br/>“<em>Right. Mormont’s a vegan in the kitchen, a hacker at work and a lady in the house.”<br/><br/></em>Mormont bursted out with laughter at that remark, while everyone started looking at her in a weird way. Marge and Sam were eying each other in discomfort. He gave a look to Mormont who was still laughing and he had to pinch her to make her gather herself back. Just when there was silence again at the table, Ramsay suddenly and awkwardly stood up and started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>I would like to propose a toast, to the great Ned Stark.”<br/><br/></em>He froze after hearing that and he didn’t hear any other words clearly. The bastard was going on and on about what a great influence Ned Stark had been to all of Westeros and then at some point started talking about how a great father he was because Jon had turned out to be an excellent man and so on. He felt the anger rising within himself as this went on, he looked at the bastard so he would shut up but there was no silence. His blood was boiling and it was either hit the table or hit the guy at that moment so he hit the table. Majority of the plates jumped up and down while a few glasses just rolled over and drinks were spilled. Finally there was silence and he knew that his look was murderous enough at that point. He glanced at Dany and Ashara and then turned to face Ramsay.<br/><br/>“<em>Sit down.”</em><br/><br/>The fucker at least had the decency to cut the crap at that point but clearly looked satisfied with what had taken place. He downed his drink and stood up, excusing himself. Knowing that this was his chance, Jon followed him to his car. He knew that this was going to look as a courtesy but his motive was different and only he knew it. When they were right next to the car, Jon clasped Ramsay’s shoulder and then turned him to look at him in the eyes. His arm was still in his grasp and Ramsay looked like he could attack him any moment.<br/><br/>“<em>Leave my arm before I break yours in front of your family, mm?”<br/><br/>“You think you could touch me here and leave this place alive? Take a good look around.”<br/><br/></em>Some of the tough seasonal workers were looking at them and they didn’t look very happy about a man coming in and causing a scene in their boss’s home. The Cassels were intently staring at them and to make matters worse, Jory was holding a baseball bat. Realizing that he had almost no chance, Ramsay shrugged, broke free and opened his door. Jon knew that the bastard wouldn’t leave things like that and gave him a questioning look.<br/><br/>“<em>What the hell do you think you were doing?”<br/><br/>“I’m not doing anything Jon. It’s you who’s doing something wrong.”<br/><br/></em>With that, he shut the door closed and got out of the mansion as fast as he could. Jon sighed in relief as he knew that disaster was averted momentarily, but they hadn’t seen the last of Ramsay Bolton just yet. All he was hoping was that his name wouldn’t ever come up again within his family. He never wanted to see the bastard’s smug face ever again but once he got back to King’s Landing, he was going to have to. He slowly returned to the table to find the servants already picking up some of the stuff, while Davos had retreated to a corner with Sam, talking about money. He noticed Dany eyeing Mormont as she was getting friendly with Ashara and Shireen. His aunt Lyanna was in a deep conversation with Marge so he felt obliged to join Davos and Sam at that point.<br/><br/>“<em>So Mr. Seaworth, how about we buy you some stock on the market? I believe you could profit a lot with our guidance.”<br/><br/>“Sorry Sam, I just happen to hate your kind. All these investment bankers and stock exchange guys, you make me sick to my stomach. No offense though, I like you already.”<br/><br/></em>Jon laughed at that statement with Davos and Sam but once the laughter died, Davos immediately got serious.<br/><br/>“<em>Who in the blue hell was that?”<br/><br/>“Ah no one important. Pay him no mind.”<br/><br/>“Not important? That fucker clearly had done some research on all of us. His purpose was to disturb eveyone and disturb everyone he did for sure. Is he one of the reasons you went to see Varys?”<br/><br/>“Yes and no at the same time. Look, I’ll get into it later on with you. Now’s not the right time for it.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say… Though I have to say that I just didn’t like that guy one bit…”<br/><br/></em>The conversation couldn’t go any further as Marge came with his aunt, informing him that they would spend the day together tomorrow at the glass garden. He noticed that Dany was still watching over Mormont with the kids and that sight made him smile for a moment. It was Davos who broke the silence once again.<br/><br/>“<em>So I hear the Moat is being opened tomorrow?”<br/><br/>“Yeah, that’s what they decided on.”<br/><br/>“You should go as well. Dany might need your support.”<br/><br/>“I’ll think about it. I think they’ll manage just fine without me in any case.”<br/><br/>“Näh, you’ll be a lot of help on her first day as manager. That reminds me, I need you, Dany, Lyanna, Tormund, Jorah and Edmure to gather for a formal meeting so that the will can be carried.”<br/><br/>“I want no part of it Davos, I already spoke to Dany about it and we’re cool.”<br/><br/>“It doesn’t work like that Jon. Your presence and signature will be required in any case.”<br/><br/>“So you mean that I cannot by any means skip the whole restaurant opening thing tomorrow?”<br/><br/>“No, you most definitely will need to be there.”<br/><br/>“Fine fine, I’ll show up even if only for the whole will thing.”<br/><br/></em>At that very moment, he felt mixed up about this whole thing. What was going on with Dany was surely intriguing, but then again all these things happening were costing him his life at the same time. There were still a bunch of issues that required his attention back in King’s Landing. The Northern soil was again changing him and it wasn’t necessarily for the better. The issues here needed to be resolved quickly for sure, but all that mystery surrounding Dany was overshadowing everything he had to do. While getting lost in thought, he noticed everyone moving back to the table as coffee was being brought. Relcutantly, he got up and started moving towards the table.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>This trip was going to be a disaster.<br/><br/>She was feeling like shit, she hated Winterfell, she hated White Harbor and all that excitement surrounding Jon’s team made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to be alone with Jon, only to be alone with him, away from the troubles of this world. Her father bothered her, she was afraid to face his wrath if this deal fell through and something in her gut was telling her that this wasn’t going to work. Mance Rayder was a brute, his people were brutes and without Jon shielding her or this Davos guy negotiating in good faith, her chances were slim. She just wasn’t able to shut up about it so that the asshole Baelish would just come here and get roasted once more. She cursed inwardly and signaled the bartender for another glass of wine. Luckily the accomodations were top notch and the drinks were tasty enough. Nothing matched her time in Braavos, but then again in Braavos it was only Jon and her. She had never been able to get over the mistakes she had made during the stay and everything had been falling apart ever since.<br/><br/>The doors opened and in walked Ramsay Bolton, her father’s lapdog. Ari despised the man with all her heart, but then again found him entertaining at the same time. He was socially awkward and completely clueless in situations with the upper-class people. She knew in her heart that Ramsay’s background wasn’t as rich as Jon’s, but he made up for it in other areas. While her father did everything by the books, she knew that they had been involved in shady deals as a company before. She didn’t even smile to Ramsay, though he walked to the bar with his usual smile on his face. He ordered a scotch on the rocks and took the seat next to her. She wanted to know why Ramsay was here so she knew that she had to initiate the conversation this time.<br/><br/>“<em>Did my father send you to check up on me?”<br/><br/>“Why aren’t you at the mansion with Jon and the others?”<br/><br/>“The answer is because we belong in different worlds and you haven’t answered my question yet.So I’ll ask you once more and clearly. Why are you here?”<br/><br/></em>Ramsay just looked at his glass, played with it and then took a sip. He was just pretending to play it cool and be fancy but Ari knew that this man couldn’t even tell the difference if it was malt or blend. His mannerisms were making her more anxious than necessary and for a moment she was afraid that the anger within her would rise to the mountaintop and she would make a scene because of that. Luckily the showoff stopped playing around and turned to her.<br/><br/>“<em>You know that Mance isn’t going to sign that contract tomorrow.”<br/><br/>“So my father did send you, not to check up on me but to make sure that you are the one who takes care of the deal right? I’m sure you’ll enjoy rubbing it to my face once you get the signature. Tell me though, why won’t he sign?”<br/>“Because he made the deal with Jon, not with you, not with your father either.”<br/><br/>“Oh so you know everything huh?”<br/><br/></em>To that he just smiled. He downed his drink and took his keycard out. He did it so that she could see the number on it and then she caught him looking at her. She shifted uncomfortably at that but some part of her was intrigued at the same time. She forced a smile while his expression was solemn and serious. Suddenly he raised his head and looked deep into her eyes.<br/><br/>“<em>Who was that woman in the mansion?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>What woman, who are you talking about?”<br/><br/>“Nevermind.”<br/><br/></em>With that, he left. She knew where to found him but she knew that it was going to take her a few more glasses to actually walk over to that room. She downed her glass and signaled to the bartender for another one.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It wasn’t necessarily going the way he wanted.<br/><br/>Sure, his main purpose here was to sway Mance Rayder and make him become a puppet to the organization by any means, but then again he wanted to stick it to Snow first, and to Mormont as well. But oh, he was Jon Stark here and surely he wasn’t as naïve as he looked to be in the beginning. Stark clearly knew his surroundings better than he did and somehow he was almost prepared for his arrival. That bugged him a lot, but still not more than the Mormont girl. Her file looked great, top of her class in God’s Eye Computer Sciences and later again top of her class at KLU Statistics. She was definitely smart, the most accomplished hacker he had ever faced for sure and clearly was an orphan. All of the research he had run through on her had come up empty and that was bugging him. These others that she was acquiented with were all bastards as well, this Mya Stone and Edric Storm…<br/><br/>Then there was this other woman who he had no idea about. He had managed to snap a few pictures of her in secret while nobody was paying attention. He ran through the pictures, synced them to his computer and then uploaded them to a database. After making the connection, he then linked the database to a few other people who worked for the organization and started the search. She did look Westerosi enough with her behavior and clothing but then again if she was Essosi, it wouldn’t be a surprise to him either. All these other things were giving him a headache while he was supposed to be focusing on how to convince Mance Rayder to fall for his plot. Feeling the need to clear his head, he dialed the reception and ordered a couple of drinks to his room. The drinks arrived in no time as he popped open a beer and just lay down on his bed. It reminded him of his first time back in in these lands.<br/><br/><br/><em>(15 years ago)</em><br/><br/><br/>Dreadfort was a godawful place, but it was his new home now.<br/><br/>Still, he didn’t understand the point of being here. The fat man had told him that he was picked for his wits but all that was happening was that he was getting his ass kicked every day, with a bunch of other kids like him. Sure, they were all smart, would understand everything quickly enough but they were all weak. They would get beaten down by the bigger men every fucking day and the fat man would bully them all the time, call them fucking nerds on every other occasion.<br/><br/>Today was no different as he was again being forced to fight this monstrosity of a guy called Gregor Clegane with two others and he was just wiping the floor with them all. Having had enough, he jumped to the man’s neck and started biting his ear, continously punching and kicking the giant brute, despite being squeezed in a massive bearhug. Soon the other two kids followed suite as they also attacked the giant from different angles, finally bringing him to his knees. Three of them had made a difference by working together and had managed to escape the giant’s claws. At that point the fat man slowly walked towards them, struck the giant with his cane and chased away the other two kids. Ramsay held his head up high and stood proud. After all he was the one who came up with the strategy to knock the giant down. The fat man looked at him for a moment and then hit him below the knees with his cane. Once he lost balance and fell, he then took his belt out and started hitting him. Ramsay lost himself in the pain as he was being reminded that he was too smart for his own good.<br/><br/><br/>(Present day)<br/><br/><br/>His phone ringing had brought him back to the land of the living. This was a number which belonged to the organization and judging by the code, it was Myrish. He took a moment to respond but then reluctantly answered.<br/><br/>“<em>Bolton here, what can I do for you?”<br/><br/>“It’s about the picture you sent. There are no records of it in our database. Try the Westerosi and ask the Braavosi if necessary.”<br/><br/>“Nothing from Pentos or Tyrosh either?”<br/><br/>“No. They also came up empty. Whoever this is, is very well hidden from the system.”<br/><br/>“Have you tried the people that have died?”<br/><br/>“We cannot. We don’t have authorization for that and you know it. Plus she could be from anywhere you know.In any case, we cannot exhaust our resources for an unknown woman that nobody gives a shit about. The orders are clear about personal gain and you know it.”<br/><br/>“Right, I’ll be more careful next time. Thanks.”<br/><br/></em>That was another disappointment. He was starting to hate everything now as he heard the knock on the door. He slowly headed to the door and opened it slowly to see that Arianne was standing in front of the room. Without saying a word he opened the door fully and let her in.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>She was still so damn embarrassed and she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye.<br/><br/>This was twice now that she had broken down completely when he was around. What was the deal with this guy? Did he really have that much sway over her or was she just acting like a teenager because he was so handsome? Then again there was this whole slapping him that had taken place. She hadn’t apologized for her behavior and he hadn’t mentioned it. He was physically strong, stronger than anyone she had met, but clearly wasn’t using that strength for his own gain. That part of him somehow reminded him of Ned, but Jon was calmer in nature for sure. He had been nothing but gentle with her since they met. She was hoping to see him under a different light, especially now that his people were here but his behavior hadn’t changed all that much. Okay he smiled a little more for sure but she guessed it was only normal. She had also witnessed his protective side and anger within that short space of time when this Ramsay guy had paid them a visit.<br/><br/>She looked from her window as he was back in his cheerful mood with his team, laughing and making jokes and that put a smile on her face. Still, she didn’t know how to hide the embarrassment but then again he hadn’t rubbed anything into her face about the incident. He had just held and comforted her while she had melted into his arms. She was brought to life by her daughter’s voice before getting all too lost in thought.<br/><br/>“<em>I don’t want to go to sleep mommy. I want to be out with Jon.”<br/><br/>“Jon has company my sweet. Besides we have a deal, remember?”<br/><br/>“Mm okay, but do I get to see Jon tomorrow too?”<br/><br/>“I guess so. What’s the deal with him anyway? Why do you like him so much?”<br/><br/>“He’s nice, really handsome and he’s like a younger Uncle Ned.”<br/><br/>“He’s handsome?”<br/><br/>“Of course he is. I also saw you looking at him.”<br/><br/>“You are a child of six, you probably don’t know what you saw.”<br/><br/>“It’s okay mommy. He’s nice.”<br/><br/>“Alright now, time for bed.”<br/><br/></em>She then tucked her daughter in and turned off the lights. She kept watching the downstairs table as this Mormont, who was supposed to be a hacker, was talking about this Ramsay guy.<br/><br/>“<em>That man is a psycho. I did some research on him. Reportedly he grew up in an orphanage around Craster's Keep and then completely disappears of the grid. Someone who looks like him then studies in Storm’s End Computer Sciences but never graduates.”<br/><br/>“What the hell is this research about? You clearly showed off to him about all that. Keep it under control next time.”<br/><br/></em>This Mormont girl intrigued her more and more as she spoke. If she was so good at what she was doing, maybe there was a chance that she could get that video of hers removed as well. Then this Marge leaned into Jon and asked something. She was maybe getting jealous of that beautiful woman, but then again Jon seemed to be very professional with his co-workers. After she spoke to him, he looked up to her window but after seeing there was no light, he refocused his attention on the table. She decided to go downstairs and join them, as she couldn’t contain herself and didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts at that very moment. Aunt Lyanna had also joined them and had blended in quickly enough. Her presence was enough comfort for her, as she kept reminding herself that she was okay and walked down the stairs. Lyanna was the first to notice her as she welcomed her to the table once again.<br/><br/>“<em>Come my dear, please sit.”<br/><br/></em>She sat between Mormont and Marge, right across from Jon. She still couldn’t look at him in the eye and he looked like he wasn’t paying him any mind. After a brief silence, Jon then said that Mormont was the best hacker anyone could see and they all started laughing. Mormont however, looked a little embarrassed and claimed that it was nonsene. Marge then piled up by saying that she could empty anyone’s bank accounts within mere minutes, which was also met with laughter. After some more conversation, Lyanna then excused herself and Jon asked them all if they wanted to see a real Godswood. Marge and Sam immediately rose from their seats to follow him and just when Mormont was about to stand up too, Dany held her hand.<br/><br/>“<em>There is something I need to ask you.”<br/><br/>“Well, okay?”<br/><br/>“Are you really a hacker? I need something taken down from the internet.”<br/><br/></em>She then pulled out her phone from her pocket and showed her the video. The tiny woman giggled at what she saw and asked if she could just have the phone for a brief moment. Then she took out her own and pasted the link and started running the analytics. She caught her looking at her hand and as a reflex, tried to hide it first but then decided against it.<br/><br/>“<em>So what do you think, can we take this video down?”<br/><br/>“It’s gone viral. I mean sure we can take this one down but it probably spread way too much already.”<br/><br/></em>She pouted at the response and the young woman was careful enough to pay attention.<br/><br/>“<em>You don’t want to be seen, I get it. I’ll do my best to take it down.”<br/><br/></em>That brought a smile to her face as she cupped the young woman’s face. Her gaze was stern at first but then it softened, just like everyone else who was able to feel her gratitude. To her surprise, Mormont was able to break through the walls rather fast, much to her discomfort.<br/><br/>“<em>You’ve been abused.”<br/><br/></em>The silence after that was deafening. She couldn’t move, she felt like she couldn’t breathe and she could almost feel another panic attack on the horizon. Mormont however, would stop it in its tracks, before it could even start.<br/><br/>“<em>I promise that I’ll do my best. Don’t worry.”<br/><br/></em>That brought the smile back to her face as she took Mormont by her hand and led her to the Godswood. The younger woman was fascinated by what she saw, as she quickly moved towards Jon’s white pup, who was clearly enjoying the attention given to her by Marge, while Sam was timidly watching the two from afar. The pup then sniffed Mormont’s hand and allowed her to pat him as well. Dany had always been good with dogs, but this little pup had snarled at her just last night, trying to be protective over his owner. He really was beautiful and for a brief moment, Dany felt like Ned was staring at her, when she looked at the pup. Unconsciously she stopped next to Jon, who was watching everyone from a distance, with his arms crossed and a little smile on his face. He heard her approach, just nodded to her and kept watching. She knew she had to say something but words choked in her throat and she couldn’t speak. He on the other hand, started talking without facing her.<br/><br/>“<em>Talk when you’re comfortable. There’s nothing to be ahsamed of.”<br/><br/></em>His smile then returned to his face as Dany tried to observe him and everyone else at the same time. The pup was clearly enjoying all the attention and the treats given to him. Even Sam was now friendly with him, as he was patting the dog and giving him treats. Jon then yawned, checked the time and then spoke to the others.<br/><br/>“<em>Alright, let’s hit the bed. We have a long day tomorrow. Ghost, to me.”<br/><br/></em>The little pup immediately raced towards Jon as he picked him up and was greeted by a few licks to the face. He had the most sincere smile on his face that she had seen and it was the exact same smile when he was dealing with Ashara as well. There was still so much to figure about this man, as he was clearly not a heartless bastard like Ned had painted him to be. She couldn’t contain the curiosity as she had to ask that very important question.<br/><br/>“<em>Why that name? Why Ghost?”<br/><br/>“Because he doesn’t make a sound at all and he found me when I was lying between my parents’ graves. He came to me, hence the name.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>Being in Winterfell was refreshing to say the least.<br/><br/>She felt more at home being in the north, but then again this was where she was originally from. Her rocky life of moving from place to place never looked like it was going to settle, but then again she had come to terms with that a long time ago. Ever the early riser, Lyanna Mormont headed downstairs to the patio, thinking that she was the first one up. She found Jon already in the kitchen, preparing coffee and just waved at him. The crisp and fresh Northern air hit her in the face and woke her up fully. She looked around for a while and then turned around to see if someone else was up. Dany was already awake and drawing by her window. She waved at her as well and the wave was returned. Jon then stepped outside with two mugs in his hands and handed her the coffee. He noticed that Dany was up and looked at her window as well but then the woman disappeared immediately. She had noticed the weird energy between her boss and this mysterious woman and was trying to understand the dynamic here. Jon had instructed her to take pictures of Dany and run a face-scan to see if she came up with anything. Once Dany completely disappeared from sight and making sure that nobody was around to eavesdrop on them, Jon started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>Any luck with the pictures?”<br/><br/>“Took a few last night, the scans are running. I have to tell you though; this woman has big, big secrets in her past. El secreto de sus ojos.”<br/><br/>“Subtle movie reference Mormont, good job. She cupped your face?”<br/><br/>“She did.”<br/><br/>“She repeated the word Rhae over and over while suffering from a panic attack at the hospital. Then this horse, my father apparently bought for her, is named Rhaegal. She said that she went Valyrian but I think it might have something to do with some mythology.”<br/><br/>“Maybe so, but then again I thought you knew Valyrian?”<br/><br/>“Sure I do, I can speak the language but you know, I didn’t dig deep into Valyrian mythology or stuff like that to understand who the fuck is Rhaegal. There are two names that I know of that can be shortened to Rhae though. Rhaegar as a male and Rhaenys as a female.”<br/><br/>“So you’re thinking immigrant?”<br/><br/>“That’s pretty much obvious. I bet that dark brown hair color isn’t her natural hair color.”<br/><br/>“So maybe this Rhae is a lost brother or a sister?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Probably. There are a few more things though. Her common tongue is almost perfect and she speaks without an accent. Then this drawing ability… Fuck, I mean I’ve been to many, many art galleries and so on and I might not have seen something that good. I need to find out who this woman is.”<br/><br/>“Do you have a crush on her?”<br/><br/></em>Her boss went silent at the question and Lyanna assumed silence meant yes in these situations. Then again she didn’t know shit about romance so it was no use. She needed to comfort the man a little so she went on.<br/><br/><em>“If that is a yes; that makes two of us. I already have a crush on her and I want to buy her all the sundresses in the world.”<br/><br/>“Hah, anything else I need to know?”<br/><br/>“She’s insanely scared about her video that went viral on twitter. She’s so scared that she’s actually searching for apartments around.”<br/><br/>“Like here in Winterfell?”<br/><br/>“No, places that are really far away from here. Don’t dig deeper into this woman, she already feels threatened by everything around her.”<br/><br/>“Look, I’m trying to help her and if I am to help her, then I need to know the backstory. Whether she tells me about it or you find it out for me, it doesn’t matter.”<br/><br/>“I would advise against it.”<br/><br/>“I’m not gonna change my mind, okay? Search thoroughly and let me know if something comes up.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say, boss.”<br/><br/></em>Soon after Sam and Marge joined them and down came Lyanna Stark. Soon after they were swarmed by servants as the breakfast was being served. During the breakfast Jon walked them through the motions that needed to be taken tomorrow and in return, they all showed him the projections from the time he was away from the office. Satisfied with the result, Jon smiled at them and kept on eating. Then a car entered from the main gate and for a moment Lyanna thought that it was that bastard again, only to find a rather timid but smiling man getting out of the car. Dany then came downstairs, bid them bon apetite all and then stopped by her side.<br/><br/>“<em>Will you be taking care of it today?”<br/><br/></em>She just smiled and nodded assuringly. Dany then left without saying another word, while Jon was complaining why she was going to the restaurant with Edmure while he could have just driven her after the breakfast. His aunt then explained that it was either Tormund or Jorah who picked Dany up on the way to work after Ned died and since both of them were occupied today, the job was Edmure’s to handle. Lyanna watched as her boss grunted at the explanation, telling his aunt that he still could have taken care of things. The sight was a little fun to watch, as Jon was someone who managed to keep his cool under dire circumstances but he was squirming at the sight of this woman, who clearly had a stronger hold over him than he realized.<br/><br/>Once Marge and Lyanna Stark headed to the glass gardens, it was again down to her and Jon, while Sam was video chatting with his wife Gilly. They were asked to say hi and wave towards the phone, assuring Gilly that Sam was actually with his co-workers and not fooling around. Lyanna didn’t understand such relationship dynamics anyway but this type of behavior somehow always bothered her more than it should. She was distracted from her thoughts with a blip from her screen, as the research on the photos came up empty. She just showed Jon the screen and the disappointment on his face was clear. Not wanting to upset him further, she told him about his backup plan.<br/><br/>“<em>I don’t want to dig deeper into this woman to be honest, but if it matters that much to you, I can ask the people from my team.”<br/><br/>“Your team?”<br/><br/>“Think of it as a WhatsApp group filled with people like me. We of course have our own portal though. Not stupid enough to discuss such things via WhatsApp.”<br/><br/>“A group filled with people like you? Wow that sounds fascinating. Give it a try, though if it comes up empty, that’s the end of it. We won’t dig deeper.”<br/><br/>“Alright then, I’ll ask. Some of the Braavosi are really skilled when it comes to these things. They might come up with an answer.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Do it and let me know.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>Thoros was beaten up so badly that they had to put him to the hospital.<br/><br/>Beric fucking hated the world for everything that had taken place. Chaos was all around and his stubbornness had caused his dear friend to be beaten up. Thoros was proud about not having snitched but still, this was all troubling. They had used brute strength against that fucker Ramsay and their organization had responded with brute strength of their own. That fat fucker was disturbing enough and Beric didn’t know who they were dealing with. Mr. Snow hadn’t returned and apparently still there were a few more days until he would return.  <br/><br/>After parting ways with Thoros and making sure that his family was with him, he headed towards the harbor. The work had come to a halt as the fuckers couldn’t do their trafficking anymore. Mr. Snow clearly had something to do with all this coming to a halt and Beric was proud about having made the choice to come clean to him about this whole thing. He entered the harbor, checked-in, took a cup of coffee from the café and headed towards his work station, only to find that smug Nestoris standing there.<br/><br/>“<em>We gotta talk.”<br/><br/>“I have nothing to talk about with you asshole.”<br/><br/>“Good, then I just need you to listen. The work continues. We start again tonight. Your station is 5C and you know the drill. Be there at 10 pm.”<br/><br/>“Fine. Just get the fuck out of my face so that I don’t need to see you ever again.”<br/><br/></em>Those fuckers actually had the stomach to start again, despite having caught with dead bodies. Beric so hoped that tonight’s container didn’t contain any people. If some valuables were being transported, he would let it go but if only there would be a single breathing soul in that damn container, he promised himself that he would torch these fuckers, even if it meant that he died during the process.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It felt so good being back at work.<br/><br/>The Moat itself was a living, breathing entity for her and meant to her more than almost anything. Thinking that until two days ago, she still wasn’t sure that if she was going to be able to stay here. It was almost impossible to figure out Jon’s motives in the beginning, but the more time she spent around him, the warmer it became for her. Because for Dany, what mattered the most was security and maybe Jon was going to be able to provide it, now that Ned was gone.<br/><br/>Tormund was already behind the counter, barking orders to the assistants, while Jorah was trying to distract himself with work. Lynesse had an appointment with her pregnancy consultant today and one could easily read the stress from his face because of that. She was told that they had been trying for years without an end result. The last test had turned out to be positive, but still Jorah was stressing about it a lot for good reason. She made a mental note about supporting him later on and turned to Edmure, who was getting ready to go to his own station. She looked around to find Barbrey and Alys, but they were nowhere to be found. That dumbass Harrion had showed up for Ned’s funeral and all but then he wasn’t seen again. Today was their first day back, her first official day as manager and right from the start; it looked like crisis was on the horizon. She took one more good look at the kitchen and went to the office to drop her things.<br/><br/>After settling her stuff, she called Barbrey but there was no answer. She tried Alys next but she didn’t answer either. Dany was getting anxious, because Harrion was an abusive man and it was possible that their lives were in danger. She rushed out of the office and decided to tell Tormund about the situation.<br/><br/>“<em>It’s already too late and they haven’t arrived yet. Could this be related to Harrion?”<br/><br/>“I will kill that asshole if it’s related to him but don’t work me up just yet. Call them again.”<br/><br/>“I already called twice, don’t you think it was enough?”<br/><br/>“Wait for a few minutes then. If there’s no response, send a few of the men with Rodrik to pick the ladies up. You might also want to notify Jon about this. He might have a more direct solution.”<br/><br/>“This is my first day as manager and I can’t go to him with my first problem. I need to deal with this on my own.”<br/><br/>“Fine, whatever you say. Still, I think he should be notified but I won’t let tell him unless you want me to.”</em><br/><br/>“<em>Don’t tell him just yet.”<br/><br/></em>After five minutes, she was getting really worked up but finally the phone rang and it was Alys who was calling. She immediately answered the phone and clearly could hear the panic from the other side.<br/><br/>“<em>My father didn’t let us leave. He said that now Uncle Ned was gone, we’re not allowed to come back and work there.”<br/><br/>“Nonsense, we’re not letting you two rot with him. Are you alone with your mom?”<br/><br/>“Yes we are. My father’s out buying groceries. Apparently he made a deal with a few of the restaurants around so we’ll now only be working for them.”<br/><br/>“No you won’t. Rodrik and a few others are coming to pick you, be prepared.”<br/><br/></em>Then Barbrey just picked up the phone from her daughter’s hands and took over.<br/><br/>“<em>We can come for sure, but you’re not the one who will face his abuse once work is over and we go back home.”<br/><br/>“You don’t have to. How about we move you to the mansion? You’ll be safer there for sure.”<br/><br/>“I cannot accept that. Anyway, we’ll be ready and waiting.”<br/><br/></em>After hanging up, she updated Tormund about the situation and immediately let Rodrik know that he was to go pick up the women from their apartment. Rodrik didn’t waste a second to comply and pressure was lifted off her chest. Within minutes Barbrey and Alys were in the restaurant, ready for work. She took a good look at the older woman and just nodded.<br/><br/>“<em>The stuff is with Jorah. You’re already late so don’t waste any time to get started.”<br/><br/>“What happens if he comes here?”<br/><br/>“If he’s that stupid, he’ll try that. In any case, you won’t be going home alone this evening so don’t worry.”<br/><br/>“Thank you. We’ll get right to work.”<br/><br/></em>Now that this was taken care of, she could also see if the personal stuff was being taken care of. She took out her phone and texted Lyanna to see if she had any progress with the video. That had been eating her alive from the inside and that video disappearing would surely make her feel better about herself, her child and her future. She wasn’t aware that she was staring blank and was lost in thought, until Edd came to her to ask a very weird question.<br/><br/>“<em>Uhm Dany… Yohn Royce arrived to drop Lynesse here. Do we open for her or do we wait for working hours to start.”<br/><br/>“Edd! Let the woman in and quickly now.”<br/><br/></em>Edd Tollett maybe wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but surely he had a wonderful work ethic. He had trained dozens of waiters for the restaurant and considering that he was only a few years older than herself, he was very good at what he did. Then again, he did have some stupid questions and remarks every now and then but those were tolerable because of his personality. Once the gates were open, Lynesse walked in, with a huge smile on her face.<br/><br/>“<em>We’re having twins!”<br/><br/>“TWINS? OH MY GOD. JORAH GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE, YOU’RE HAVING TWINS.”<br/><br/></em>She hadn’t screamed with joy for so long and for a moment she felt so happy that she thought she could cry. She so wanted Ned to be here to witness this and that broke her heart. Still, there was no time for heartbreak as they all congratulated the couple for the result. Coffee and tea was made immediately and they moved to the little garden at the back to settle down. The good feeling was in the air and finally after a long long while, Dany felt that good things were on the horizon.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>The forty-five minute trip to White Harbor felt like five hours to say the very least.<br/><br/>Ari hated doing this, hated being here, hated the fact that she had to face Mance Rayder and his brutes, hated the Northern landscape, hated everything about this place. She hated her father, she despised her mother, she felt grossed out by Ramsay not being able to pleasure her fully last night and all she wanted to do was get to Jon and get the fuck away from all these people with him. The driver took her to Mance Rayder’s property and opened her door. Ari looked around as the place looked dead, but after a while people started coming outside from the building. One of them rushed to her side to tend to her business. She looked at the brute and in a very polite manner, introduced herself.<br/><br/>“<em>My name is Arianne Martell, I’m here to see Mr. Rayder about the harbor contracts.”<br/><br/>“Uhm, a moment ma’am, let me go get the boss.”<br/><br/></em>She wasn’t sure whether to wait outside or go inside that large structure. Being bothered by the cold air that she wasn’t accustomed to, she opted to go inside, only to find dozens of brutes in there. The whole place was swarming with them and the sight was disturbing. She didn’t want to discriminate anyone or anything but these people did look more like wildlings than Westerosi and that bothered her a lot. She decided to go outside and wait there but her way was blocked. She felt all these people closing in on her, although none of them were really moving. She felt that all eyes were on her, though no one was really looking at her. She started panicking and trembling but she had to stay strong. Just when fear and anxiety were taking over, she heard a booming voice and suddenly it was all too silent.<br/><br/>“<em>MOVE YOU FUCKING IDIOTS. LET THE LADY THROUGH.”<br/><br/></em>The crowd spilt into two and made way for her to move towards Mance’s office. Mance Rayder was standing in front of the office with a small smile on his face, looking already tired from the day’s work, with his old suit out of place and tie loosened. This wasn’t something that she was accustomed to but she had to deal with it now. She shook hands with the man as he led her to his office, away from the crowd.<br/><br/>Five minutes later, Pentoshi coffee was brought, Mance had offered her a cigarette and they were down to business right away. Ari explained the details of the contract, which the old man listened very carefully and nodded at every step. It looked like it was going well, he would sign the damn papers and she would be out of here in no time. Oh how she wanted to stick that contract right up <em><br/></em>Ramsay’s ass but first she needed to get the signature and close the damn deal. Once she was done with explaining, Mance just smiled at her and started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>These are good points Ms. Martell but I don’t see Jon anywhere. My terms were very specific that he’d be the one to make the deal with me, not you.”<br/><br/>“See Mr. Rayder, Jon is taking care of the issues with finance but I am responsible from the harbors from now on.”<br/><br/>“Then we have no deal.”</em><br/><br/>“<em>What do you mean no deal?”<br/><br/>“What I mean is what I say. Unless Jon comes here and signs the contract with me, I’m not signing.”<br/><br/>“Mr. Rayder, I’m afraid it’s not very professional.”<br/><br/>“Look at me dear, do I look very professional to you?”<br/><br/></em>Her eye had started twitching and she could feel the crisis hitting her. She dove deep into her bag to find the right medicine but couldn’t. She spilled the whole bag onto Mance’s table and kept digging. All within that blur, a glass of water was put in front of her, while she finally managed to find the right medicine and take it. After taking deep breaths and settling down, she excused herself for a minute to call Jon. He didn’t pick up at first but she called again and again and finally it was picked up.<br/><br/>“<em>What can I do for you Ari?”<br/><br/>“Uhm Jon, I’m with Mr. Rayder here, he says that he won’t sign the contract without you.”<br/><br/>“Well why do I care about that? Your father limited me to financial issues so go ask him about it.”<br/><br/>“Jon please, I need your help. Can you please come here to help me out?”<br/><br/>“Why would I help you out? It’s none of my business. Ask your father and then come to the restaurant when you’re done.”<br/><br/></em>He just had hung up and Ari felt that anxiety was kicking in. She told Mance that they would be back later on and the man didn’t say anything. She left through the crowd of brutes, stepped outside and quickly walked towards the car that was waiting for her. Her driver opened her door and she setlled in. Immediately after that she called Ramsay.<br/><br/>“<em>Told you he wasn’t going to sign it.”<br/><br/>“I wish if you were all so successful about everything you said, just like this one.”<br/><br/>“Heh, I’ll let that one go.”<br/><br/>“So what do you suggest that I do?”<br/><br/>“You can’t do shit. You don’t know how to deal with these people but I do. Still, ask Jon once more if he is willing to help.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean once more?”<br/><br/>“Oh don’t you think I know that you called your prince charming first?”<br/><br/>“Fuck you. You all are a bunch of cunts. You, Jon, my father, ALL OF YOU.”<br/><br/></em>She hung up and couldn’t contain herself from shaking during the ride back to Winterfell.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Spending time with Ashara was more entertaining than he predicted.<br/><br/>The little girl absolutely adored him for reasons he didn’t understand and in return, Jon felt love brewing in his heart for the little one. She was chasing after Ghost, who was determined to not to get caught by the little girl. After numerous tries and failures, Ashara came pouting to her and asked if he could get Ghost for her. That was going to be easy and he knew that it was going to score points with her for him. He just smiled and nodded, then turned towards Ghost.<br/><br/>“<em>Ghost, to me.”<br/><br/></em>The pup wasted no time after his master’s call and came right next to him. Jon picked the pup up from the floor and told Ashara to extend her hand. Ghost sniffed her hand and then extended his paw towards the little girl, which was met with joyous laughter. His heart melted at the sight as he snapped a picture of the moment, a rarity for him to do so. Mormont then arrived at the table and invited him to the other part of the patio, where she was working with her computer. He called for Beth to come and take care of Ashara, let Ghost roam free in the gardens and joined Mormont at the table. There was finally a match, though it was nowhere near accurate. It showed that Dany Storm had been in a coma for the past ten years in Cerwyn Central Hospital.<br/><br/><em><br/>(4 years ago)<br/><br/></em><br/>Ned was just observing the place as Edd came and informed him about Varys and Davos arriving. He signaled for drinks to be brought to the little garden at the back as he saw his old friends entering the restaurant. He led them towards the back and not a single word was uttered until the drinks were served. Ned gave Varys a questioning look and Varys just nodded to him. Satisfied with the result, Ned then called for Edmure to bring Dany to the garden. Within two minutes, Dany was there but she was trembling with fear. Ned gestured for her to sit down, as Varys took out a yellow envelope from his suitcase and started explaining.<br/><br/>“<em>So here we have your new ID and necessary papers.Go ahead, take a look at them.”<br/><br/></em>It was a brand new ID with her picture on it, but of course, all the other information was false but Ned didn’t care. Varys had worked his magic with the legal stuff and they had finally secured a brand new ID for Dany and she was now going to be safe from now on. He squeezed Dany’s hand, reassuring her about the whole situation. Varys then picked up again and continued explaining.<br/><br/>“<em>Now, Danielle was my sister’s daughter. The name fits you as well so it won’t raise questions. She has been in a coma already for years now. You will replace her on paper and continue your life. Here we have the identification for your daughter as well. Dany Storm and Ashara Storm, I guess congratulations are in order for you two.”<br/><br/></em>Dany just rose from her seat and hugged the man, while he and Davos were just smiling at the scene. After muttering continous thanks, Dany grabbed the papers and the envelope and runned to the office. Ned new enough about giving her privacy for the moment, as they needed to discuss more stuff anyway. Once he heard the office door shut, he got serious and started questioning Varys.<br/><br/>“<em>What about Rhaenys?”<br/><br/>“We’re still searching for her.”<br/><br/>“I want her found, we made a promise to Dany.”<br/><br/>“Ned, you know that it’s like searching for a needle in a haysack but we’re doing our best.”<br/><br/>“I want her found dammit. Do what you can, send people to Valyria if you must.”<br/><br/>“Easy now, you don’t want her hearing you panic about this. We’ll try handling this as quietly as possible.”<br/><br/>“Look, the more her daughter will grow, the more she will remind her about Rhaenys. We cannot just wait for her to appear from somewhere.”<br/><br/>“I told you Ned, my people are looking at this. Still, the higher-ups were disturbed about me questioning the issue.”<br/><br/>“Fuck them all.”<br/><br/>“Look Ned, all I’m saying is that we need to be subtle and careful with all this. We don’t want anyone blocking my resources with this thing so we can come up with a result okay? In the meantime, let her get comfortable with her new identification because now she is safe for sure.”<br/><br/></em><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/><br/>“<em>Well well, look at my old man… Conspiring with authorities to secure her and her daughter a new ID… Even I wouldn’t have thought about this.”<br/><br/>“There are other records boss, though I’m sure whoever this woman was, she’s dead already. The plug must have been pulled sometime ago but it wasn’t reported.”<br/><br/>“Fuck, this made me more curious than I was before. I kinda suspect that Varys had a hand in this. He muttered some nonsense about similar cases. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, this could be all connected but right now I cannot dig deeper into this. Keep on the search but only let me know if we have a definite result, okay?”<br/><br/>“I didn’t understand anything from what you said boss but whatever you say. Want my advice on this?”<br/><br/>“Sure, it can’t hurt at this point.”<br/><br/>“Look, this woman clearly ran away from something or someone. Your father clearly helped her out, designed a new life for her and made her feel secure. Don’t shake things up, okay? Let her be.”<br/><br/>“Fine, still just do as I say. Unless there is something definite, I don’t need to know more. I don’t want to trigger whatever this is in her. I’ll go check on my aunt and Marge now. We should slowly get ready to go to the restaurant.”<br/><br/></em>Thoughts engulfed him as he made his way to the glass gardens. He found his aunt and Marge in a friendly environment as they were chatting about herbs and all sorts of other things. Not wanting to intterupt anything, he waited for them to pause and only after they paused, he cleared his throat and started speaking.<br/><br/>“<em>I suppose everything is okay?”<br/><br/>“Oh more than okay boss, your aunt is a delight and I’m in love with this place.”<br/><br/>“Hah, good to hear that. Get ready though, we’re heading to the restaurant in half an hour.”<br/><br/>“Oh no, I’m staying here.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean you’re staying here? We’ll have a small Winterfell tour and so on.”<br/><br/>“Näh, I’m more than happy to be here.”<br/><br/>“Fine, still the dinner is at the restaurant at 8 pm, don’t be late.”<br/><br/></em>Then he turned to his aunt.<br/><br/>“<em>So Ashara Storm, huh? That surely sounds a lot different than I’m accustomed to.”<br/><br/></em>Her aunt’s face froze at that as he clearly saw the tension building within her. He smiled at the older woman and just kept on.<br/><br/>“<em>Relax; they called me from the hospital. I confirmed another appointment after that. Just letting you know about it.”<br/><br/></em>Without saying another word, he left the glass gardens as his phone started ringing. Sam approached him at the same time, while Ari was calling. Reluctantly, he answered to phone as Sam’s face went all white. He wasn’t made aware that Arianne had arrived with them but chose to stay away and that angered him a little. He just told her that he wasn’t a part of any harbor deal now and noted that once she was finished, he would meet her at the restaurant. After ending the call, he gave Sam a questioning look, as he trembled in front of him.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m sorry boss. It didn’t occur to me that we should have told you that she was here as well. She didn’t interact with us at all so we couldn’t really tell.”<br/><br/>“It’s okay Sam. She fucked up, just like I presumed. In any case, if you’re ready, let’s head to the restaurant. We have things to do there.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>This place was heaven.<br/><br/>Being in the nature and dealing with plants had always been her hobby, but Margaery Tyrell just never had the time to do things like this. Lyanna Stark was a gem due to her knowledge about plants and Marge sucked in all the information she could get from the old woman. They looked at herbs and plants, brew some tea from the herbs and even tasted some together. She was way nicer than she sounded on the phone and even that was already too nice. That made her understand why Jon was the way he was, he was brought up by this woman and damn she had done a good job with it. Once Jon came to let them know about a few things and went, the air was a little cold between the aunt and nephew. She knew that when Jon was asserting his dominance, things would get uncomfortable at first but then would settle into a steady rythym. She figured that she needed to say a few things to the older woman about the situation so she would feel at ease.<br/><br/>“<em>That was very typical of him.”<br/><br/>“What was?”<br/><br/>“Him, just showing up, telling something and then taking off like nothing happened… Now I don’t know a single thing about what had taken place but I know his behavior.”<br/><br/>“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. You have been the longest at his side, right? How is he like in general?”<br/><br/>“He’s always kind, very fair towards us all and always rewards good performances. It’s not his anger you should be afraid of, it’s more like a flare that dies down rather quickly. If he’s disappointed though, that’s something else…”<br/><br/>“He was always like that, even as a kid and a teenager. Ned always complained that this couldn’t be his child and that he was nothing like him, though he actually has his mannerisms.”<br/><br/>“They weren’t close, that much I figured. Jon never talks about his personal life but he also never interferes with our business. He did save me from a couple of abusive boyfriends though. I will never forget that.”<br/><br/>“He’s always been protective of the people he cares about and he never fears showing it. I sometimes wish that he moved back here.”<br/><br/>“I’m sorry to disappoint you but that’s highly unlikely. He loves his job and actually likes King’s Landing a lot. I’m sure he’ll visit more often though.”<br/><br/>“I hope so. He’s the only family I have left. Then again Dany is like family to all of us. Her presence has helped us a lot here.”<br/><br/>“She is a very interesting woman this Dany… I think Jon has a crush on her though.”<br/><br/></em>Lyanna Stark coughed her tea out at that statement. Marge wanted to help by offering water but Lyanna waived her off and gathered herself in no time.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m okay, I’m okay, just that it was so sudden when you said it and…”<br/><br/>“Oh but isn’t it obvious? I thought you had it figured out by now, I mean just imagine them together, then think of how he behaves around her, how he watches her and so on… I have never seen him like this.”<br/><br/></em>There was a big smile on the older woman’s face after her last sentence. At that moment Marge understood that Lyanna Stark had found some peace in her heart and smiled back.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>“<em>Sign the damn document and get out.”<br/><br/></em>This was the sentence he used the most during a regular work day. Davos sometimes hated his job, hated how convincing he was in general, hated the things that made him a good negotiator, but at the end of the day, paychecks needed to be earned and there was a family that he needed to look after now that Marya worked only special cases because she needed to attend to Shireen at home most of the time.<br/><br/>He remembered the good old times, when Ned was still alive and well and the only worry he had was to impress Marya and convince her to go out with him. They had met as attorneys of opposite sides in a divorce case years ago and he had fallen for her the moment he had seen her. It had been very difficult to get the case settled and despite his best efforts, Marya had refused his advances time after time. After numerous desperate attempts, Marya had finally agreed to go out with him and the rest had been history. He was glad that his negotiation skills had paid off that one time, just because it had given him the best thing in his life, his family. He had never taken a divorce case after that and tried his best to stay away from family drama. The Stark family drama was something he hadn’t been able to avoid, but then again he had done his best to bring father and son together. He thought that Ned would have been proud of Jon’s decisions and his efforts to take care of Dany and that made him smile.<br/><br/>Finally this damn case he had been working on was settled so he could leave the office and go home in peace. He couldn’t wait to get home, get to his wife and lovely daughter so he could just spend time with them, without caring about anything. He put his table in order, took his briefcase and just when he was about to leave there was a knock on the door. Varys had come to his visit and that was surely unexpected. He signalled for coffee to be brought and welcomed his longtime friend.  Once the coffee was brought, he closed the door and locked it, not wanting to be interrupted by anything. Varys would only visit him if something serious was at play and despite his face not giving out anything; he knew it to be true.<br/><br/>“<em>So what brings you to town?”<br/><br/>“You ask me the same question every time I visit you here.”<br/><br/>“Of course I will! I’ve had enough with you cops already. I’m a modern day negotiator and one hell of a lawyer and you know it.”<br/><br/>“Heh, I never questioned that and you know that! Anyway, I know that your office hours are done and I’ll get to the point immediately. Jon came to my visit you know, you set the meeting up.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, what of it? I smell something fishy but he won’t tell me a thing.”<br/><br/>“Well, it’s worse than fishy Davos. It’s actually a very, very dire situation.”<br/><br/>“Well then tell me about it.”<br/><br/>“He encountered a container filled with dead bodies in Blackwater Harbor. The same kind of container that brought Dany to our shores.”<br/><br/>“Human trafficking then? Oh shit.”<br/><br/>“Oh shit, right? To make matters worse, when we were done talking and we stepped out, Dany was sitting there. You can’t imagine the anxiety I went through once I saw her. The things she suffered and the things he witnessed…”<br/><br/>“Oh fuck. Not just that, but I actually negotiated with Mance Rayder on his behalf for White Harbor business.”<br/><br/>“Oh gods no. This is all so fucked up. What do you think we should do?”<br/><br/>“I don’t know, I was going to ask you the same.”<br/><br/>“Well you know what happened the last time. When I dug deep into this, they forced me to retire. Still, I will intrduce him to one of the higher ups in Blackwater. Maybe with his resources, he can dig deeper into this. Who knows, this might lead us to Rhaenys even.”<br/><br/>“You still have hope that Rhaenys is alive and well?”<br/><br/>“I actually do.” </em><br/><em><br/>“I admire the optimism but we need to be cautious. If finding Rhaenys is gonna cost us Dany, then I want no part of it.”<br/><br/>“You’re right, we do need to be cautious. Still, let Jon do his thing. You know better than I do that now that he has his eyes set on this thing, nobody can convince him to drop this.”<br/><br/>“He’s worse than his father, right?”<br/><br/>“Oh much worse, then again he is better than the best of us.”<br/><br/>“Want to go out for a few? I was thinking of dropping by Wintertown to grab a beer.”<br/><br/>“I’ll pass my friend; I have a wedding to attend to nearby. I just wanted to drop by and let you know.”<br/><br/>“Good that you did. Take care, my friend.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>He heard the doors open and customers walking in. It reminded him of the time that his father was down with the flu and he was tasked with managing the restaurant. He had been so stressful that day that he had broken plates, glasses, had messed up one meal and suffered from a nervous breakdown and kicked out a customer. When his father had heard about it, he was sure that he was going to be punished but he had never seen him so proud. Ned had always insisted that they didn’t serve showoffs here; the Moat was here for people who wanted to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.<br/><br/>The noise from the people flooding the restaurant grew and he then left the office to check out the kitchen. He saw that Tormund was barking orders while Lyanna and Sam were staring at the chaos, completely clueless. He signaled to Mormont to grab a menu and help out the waiters and to his surprise she approved that with a smile on her face. Then he turned to Sam who was staring blank.<br/><br/>“<em>You always loved pastry, didn’t you Sam?”<br/><br/>“Yeah right but what does it have to do with our current situation now?”<br/><br/>“Oh nothing. Just go to Jorah and help him out. He’s going to need it.”<br/><br/>“Me? I don’t know the first thing about working a dough Jon.”<br/><br/>“Good, Jorah is the best teacher one can ask for. Go and help him out, that’s an order.”<br/><br/>“Yes boss.”<br/><br/></em>Then with a smile on his face, he grabbed a menu and moved outside with the idea of tending to the tables. Dany caught his eye immediately as she was running from table to table with grace, welcoming people back to the restaurant, sending waiters around, making sure that orders were taken right. Mormont had immediately blended in as he noticed that she was taking orders from a table. He went through three tables with ease, only to find out Dany was arguing with a table. Huffing to himself, he went to the table and asked what was wrong.<br/><br/>“<em>This man wants a hamburger. Can you believe it? A hamburger, at The Moat.”<br/><br/></em>The man was quick to respond however.<br/><br/>“<em>It’s not for me, it’s for my child.”<br/><br/></em>Jon then just winked at Dany and asked her to take a step back. Dany gave him a questioning look but obliged, silently watching what was going to take place. Then in the politest of manners, Jon towered over the table and started talking to the man.<br/><br/>“<em>Sir, we have a modern kitchen here, therefore we don’t serve hamburgers.”<br/><br/>“But I…”<br/><br/>“Yeah I already heard your excuses. If you want hamburgers, I suggest you go to the mall at the city center and stop wasting our time here. Out now, we don’t serve your kind here.”<br/><br/>“But but…”<br/><br/>“OUT. This is no place for Harrenhal showoffs like yourselves. GET OUT.”</em><br/><br/>Luckily the man didn’t have the balls to argue with him and as he was taking the menus from their table, the family quietly left. Dany then came to his side and her questioning look was replaced with a look of surprise.<br/><br/>“<em>What did you just do?”<br/><br/>“Didn’t my father teach you anything? This is Winterfell, the customer is always wrong here.”<br/><br/></em>He winked at her once more and went on to collect orders from other tables. With the corner of his eye, he watched Dany at every chance he got and he saw the look of admiration for the first time in her eyes, as he caught her looking his way numerous times. Once he was done with the orders, he went to the kitchens and got behind the counter to help Tormund. The big man was filled with joy to see that, as he once again offered his father’s mezzaluna and knife to him, which he accepted without making a fuss out of it this time. He worked a few meals, prepared them and sent them out and took a cigarette break. His break was interrupted by Arianne calling him and he was bummed out but had to answer.<br/><br/>“<em>What can I do for you Ms. Martell? What is it this time?”<br/><br/>“Mance didn’t sign Jon, I’m really bummed out.”<br/><br/>“How many times do I need to tell you that it’s beyond my authorization? Your father was responsible from this, so you should call him to complain. HEY, EASY WITH THOSE HOT PLATES, CAREFUL NOW.”<br/><br/>“What hot plates? Are you at the restaurant?”<br/><br/>“Yes. Just come by, I cannot be on the phone now, I’ve got work to do.”<br/><br/>“Fine, I’ll be on my way.”<br/><br/></em>He then walked around to see Sam working with Jorah, as Jorah showed him how to work the dough. He smiled and gave them thumbs up and continued to see what Edmure was up to. Delicious desserts were being prepared as Edmure was barking orders to his assistants. Jon patted him on the back and continued to see what Barbrey and Alys had been up to. Some of the tapas plates hadn’t been prepared yet and he wasn’t happy with the sight. He tasted the hummus and it wasn’t done accordingly so he made a face to Barbrey about it.<br/><br/>“<em>Needs more tahini, never EVER easy on the tahini okay?”<br/><br/>“Yes boss.”<br/><br/>“Good and hurry up with the plates. They should have been prepared by now.”<br/><br/>“Sorry boss, we had an emergency at home, we were late a little.”<br/><br/>“This wasn’t a day to be late Barbrey and you know that. I’m not your manager but I won’t appreciate this on Dany’s first day as manager. I don’t want a repeat performance, are we clear?”<br/><br/>“Yes boss, crystal clear.”<br/><br/>“Good.”<br/><br/></em>He then finished his tour and went to the back where he had left Ghost. He patted his pup a little, had some fun with him but then Edd came to him and interrupted his fun.<br/><br/>“<em>Ehm Mr. Stark, there’s a woman at the door who says that she’s here to see you.”<br/><br/>“That’s fine Edd, I’ll come with you, don’t do anything rash.”<br/><br/></em>He followed Edd to the main gate to see that Ari had arrived and was about to make a scene, demanding that she would get to see Mr. Stark right away. He then saw Dany trying to calm her down and decided to let things run their course.<br/><br/>“<em>What part of ‘I’m here to see Mr. Stark’ isn’t clear?”<br/><br/>“I understand, he had business to attend to at the back, he’ll be right with you.”<br/><br/></em>He smiled at the scene and welcomed Ari to the restaurant. She looked completely out of everything and was trying to understand what she had fallen into. Mormont came to say hi to her and left to attend the tables. He then saw Ari looking at Sam working the dough and gave him a questioning look. He just chuckled as he led her to the back and was immediately welcomed by Ghost once again. He was testing Ari’s patience and it took almost no time before she started questioning everything.<br/><br/>“<em>What is going on here Jon?”<br/><br/>“Today’s the first day back. Why don’t you change your clothes and go help prepare the tapas plates?”<br/><br/>“Me, what? Uhm I…”<br/><br/>“Hahah I’m just joking, come on sit. You want anything to eat or drink?”<br/><br/>“No, I’m just here to talk. Look, Mance didn’t sign the contract. On top of that, my father sent Ramsay here to check on things and now he said that he would take the initiative unless you met with Mance and made him sign.”<br/><br/>“Ramsay? He’ll start a fucking war if he ends up negotiating with Mance.”<br/><br/>“That’s what I thought too but I don’t know. Can you please help me? I need help and you’re the only one who can help me out here. Look I don’t even understand why my father isolated you like this but…”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Fine, I’ll make a call but don’t tell your father about this.”<br/><br/>“Thank you Jon.”<br/><br/>“You’re welcome. HEY, WHERE IS ASHARA?”<br/><br/>“Ashara, who is Ashara?”<br/><br/>“Uhm sorry, I wasn’t talking to you, hold on I’ll be back.”<br/><br/></em>He went to the office to find the little girl playing with the computer and being satisfied with the sight, he closed the door and picked up his phone. He so didn’t want to do this, then again he felt obliged to help the poor woman out. After a few rings, Mance responded.<br/><br/>“<em>Oh finally. Look Jon, I’ll be very straightforward. Martell sent his daughter and I didn’t make the deal neither with her, nor with him. I made the deal with you and that’s the only condition that I’ll honor it. I’m no pushover and I won’t be treated like one.”<br/><br/>“Look Mance I understand. Things have changed at the office, I’m not happy about it either.”<br/><br/>“Come to me and let’s talk face to face.”<br/><br/>“I can’t today, but how about tomorrow?”<br/><br/>“Tomorrow is fine, I’ll be waiting.”<br/><br/></em>He then walked back and took a seat. Ari was trembling with fear and Jon didn’t want to make her wait any longer.<br/><br/>“<em>Alright I talked with him and I’ll go see him tomorrow. Still, no word to your father about this okay? I don’t want him bothering me with this.”<br/><br/>“Fine, I promise. Thank you so much.”<br/><br/></em>At that time Ashara and Dany walked into the area and Ashara rushed straight to him.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m bored.”<br/><br/>“What can I do for you little one?”<br/><br/>“Can we go for a ride?”<br/><br/></em>Dany interfered and pulled the little girl back at that point but Jon just smiled.<br/><br/>“<em>We can, if mommy allows you to go.”<br/><br/></em>Dany just stayed silent at that while he noticed Ari was looking at Dany with intent. Knowing that he needed to introduce the two, Jon stood up and went on with it.<br/><br/>“<em>Dany, this is my co-worker Arianne. Ari, this is Dany. She’s the manager and the owner of the restaurant and for today, I’m her employee.”<br/><br/></em>The two ladies shook hands as Ashara focused her attention on Ghost. Ari then turned to him and asked about the restaurant being owned by his father and so on. Not wanting to get into detail, he turned to Dany and asked.<br/><br/>“<em>Is it okay if she comes with? She’s clearly bored and Ghost can keep her company for only so long.”<br/><br/>“As long as she behaves, she has my permisson. One misbehavior and you bring her back here, okay?”<br/><br/>“That’s fine by me.You’re having my aunt and Marge picked up, right? ”<br/><br/>“Yep. Have fun.”<br/><br/></em>Then he turned to Ari and asked if she wanted to join as well but she excused herself by saying that her flight back was tonight and she couldn’t stay. She looked uncomfortable about everything but Jon knew that his interaction with Dany was the main cause of that discomfort. Then again he wanted to pay no mind to it and called for Ashara to follow him. Dany smiled and waved to both of them and Jon took the little lady for the ride she wanted.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It was once again up to him to clean up the mess.<br/><br/>Ramsay Bolton was a cleaner. His main duty was to clean up the mess the bigger men made. This however, wasn’t even made by a bigger man to be honest. If everything had gone accordingly, there would have been no problems with those contract negotiatons. First that idiot Baelish had fucked up and his mess had been cleaned by Stark. Then Oberyn Martell had to shit the bed as he couldn’t wait for the deal to be closed before removing Stark from his position. He had advised and reminded him that Jon had to be pulled back but thought that Martell was smart enough to figure out to wait until the White Harbor deal was sealed. Then again he knew that Martell didn’t give two shits about this harbor business and wanted to get out of it anyway. He wished the old bastard dead as he could then manipulate the board to do his bidding, all in favor of his old man Robert.<br/><br/>He approached the office of this Mance Rayder and parked his car. Taking the briefcase from the backseat, he then walked towards the office building and introduced himself as a salesman, who was here to promote the security systems for trucks. It didn’t take long for security to welcome him indoors, where he found Mance Rayder fuming with anger, roaring at a few employees about how they needed to be careful with their jobs. He smiled as nicely as possible to the man as he approached and introduced himself.<br/><br/>“<em>Mr. Rayder, my name is Ramsay Bolton. I work for Bitterbridge Tech and I’m here to promote you the newest security systems we developed for the trucks. I already saw that you have the Actros 2020 here, they are the finest for sure and they deserve the finest security systems around.<br/><br/>“Well then Mr. Bolton, I ain’t got all day so you better get started.”<br/><br/>“We install the system to all of your trucks and set screens for you to observe things 24/7. If there is even the slightest malfunction, the system then alerts you about it. Once you have the system installed, you can control everything from your office. We can also set up admnistrative applications for your phones so you can actually keep track of things when remote.”<br/><br/>“Even from my phone huh? That’s good.”<br/><br/>“That’s correct sir. Actually if you have the time, I have a proposal for you.”<br/><br/>“What is it?”<br/><br/>“There will be a tech symposium held in Tarth and our company is not just one of the participants but we are one of the hosts. We can arrange VIP treatment for you if you want to join.”<br/><br/>“Oh really?”<br/><br/>“Of course sir. Just say the word and I’ll add you and your company as a VIP guest.”<br/><br/>“Well, I have to say I’m very impressed but not really convinced. I want to think about your proposal.”<br/><br/>“You’ll have lots of time to think in Tarth sir.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>Finally things have calmed down a little at the restaurant.<br/><br/>The first flood of customers was done with and the kitchens were ready for all sorts of meals for the rest of the evening. Tormund had made sure everything was prepared for the day and had started with the preparations for the family meal. They were going to celebrate Jorah and Lynesse’s twins and this was going to be the exclamation mark of her first full day as manager here. Her heart went out to Jorah and Lynesse and she felt sincerely happy for both of them. Ashara also seemed be finally eating regularly and behaving much nicer and thinking that Jon wasn’t back yet; she was having the time of her life with him.<br/> <em><br/></em>Her thoughts again went to Jon, as she had finally started seeing him under a different light. His kindness and general nice behavior towards her was sincere, plus he got along very well with her daughter. She once again turned on the computer and typed his name to the search and jumped from article to article. All the things she had read were filled with high praise, while the videos she watched of him giving speeches in confrences and symposiums showed a cool and confident side of him. Again she couldn’t help but notice the similarity of mannerisms between him and Ned and that made her smile. Just when she was about to click on one more link which looked like a more private interview which had nothing to do with business, there was a knock on the door as Tormund and Jorah walked in, grinning like idiots.<br/><br/>“<em>You two started drinking already?”<br/><br/>“Näh just had a shot of whiskey boss. I think our boy Jorah here deserves it, don’t you think?”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Sure he does. You two make sure you stay sober until the dinner begins though, mm? Mrs. Stark should be here soon, we don’t want to welcome her in a shaky state.”<br/><br/>“Understood boss! You should join us though once the organizing is done with. It’ll be a fine way to celebrate your first full day as permanent manager.”<br/><br/>“I might think about it. Don’t forget that I still have a kid that I need to put to bed and so on. Off you go now, make sure everything is ready.”<br/><br/></em>She smiled at the idiots and turned off the computer. Judging from the movement and the noises, Lyanna had arrived so she decided to leave the office and welcome the woman. When she stepped out of the office, she not only saw Lyanna but Jon’s assistant Margaery with her. She smiled at them to notice Jon returning with her daughter as well. Everyone was here finally and the evening of joy could finally start. Lyanna moved towards her slowly and gave her a big, warm hug. The older woman’s eyes were shining bright like never before. Lyanna cupped her face and kept on smiling. She couldn’t help but question whether she was okay but then the she found herself again in another bone crushing hug and felt obliged to hug the woman back. Margaery on the other hand looked fascinated by her surroundings and was continously mumbling about how famous this restaurant was in King’s Landing and how she always wanted to visit. She overheard Jon congratulating Jorah and hoping that he would have two daughters and no sons. Jorah smacked him playfully in the arm after that and finally a festive air was around them.<br/><br/>They moved to the private area with the large table and dinner was being served. She noticed friendly conversations all around as everyone seemed to be enjoying the food and the drinks. Tormund, Jorah and Lynesse raised a toast, for this was the final time that Lynesse would drink until the babies were born. Jon hadn’t uttered a word during the whole dinner as he seemed to be just observing everything and trying to enjoy it all. There was an air of seriousness on him but she knew she couldn’t just ask straight. He looked to be more cheerful when the main course arrived with more drinks. He then raised a toast to Jorah and Lynesse, congratulating them both and teasing Jorah continously during his speech. His jokes and remarks were met with laughter from everyone in attendance; while she also couldn’t help but laugh at a few things he mentioned about bachelor life and being child-free. Just when everything seemed to be going fun, a man shouting and screams following that interrupted all the fun.<br/><br/>“<em>BARBREY… ALYS… WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO? I KNOW YOU BOTH ARE IN THERE.”<br/><br/></em>In walked Harrion Karstark, holding a knife in his hand… Dany felt her blood boiling but wasn’t stupid enough to attack the man to put him in his place. He was double her size and was holding a knife in his hand. He screamed their names once more and Dany just held Ashara close to her, in case things got ugly. Tormund and Edmure had stood up from their seats, while Jorah was standing in front of his wife. Jon on the other hand, hadn’t made a single move and he was just staring at Harrion. His gaze was frighteningly reminiscent of Ned’s, as he also used to look like he was in a trance when angered like this. Tormund was about to attack the man, while Edmure looked like he could join the party and pound on the bastard anytime. Suddenly Jon stood up, pushed his seat back and calmly stepped in front of the table. Dany couldn’t see the look on his face but was sure that his gaze was murderous already. Harrion kept demanding that Barbery and Alys showed up, called his wife names during the time Jon approached him and was finally silenced by a thunderous punch that connected with his nose. The knife dropped and Jon kicked it away, much to her relief. Jon still hadn’t uttered a single word as they all were watching the scene with horror. Just when Harrion was about to make another move, this time Jon’s knee connected with his face and the man was rocked. Jon then kneeled, picked the man up from the floor and was getting ready to hit him again, as they all heard Harrion’s voice, filled with horror.<br/><br/>“<em>Ned? Is that you?”<br/><br/></em>Young Alys jumped in between them, begging for Jon to not to continue beating up her father. Jon told the girl to step aside. Barbrey then stepped outside and dragger her daughter back, while Jon signaled to Tormund to come and pick the fucker up and make sure he never showed up here again. Once Harrion was dragged out from the restaurant, Jon then shouted something towards the kitchens, which surely would bring joy back to the table.<br/><br/>“<em>EDD, BRING SHOTS FOR EVERYONE.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>It was dark and silent at Blackwater Bay, as Beric silently moved within the harbor. Every time a shipment arrived it would be like this, they would handle the lowering of the containers and this time they were instructed to wait for the truck to come and pick the whole thing up. It was a little close to 10 pm as he arrived at Station 5C, with Anguy and a few others already waiting for the job. He silently greeted them with a nod and they waited for the time to come.<br/><br/>When the time came, he was ready at his station; he prepared the crane, locked on to the marked container and grabbed it. Slowly it was brought to its landing station where Anguy was waiting. Beric didn’t leave his station until the work was done and only then he stepped down from the crane. He rushed towards the container. He instructed Anguy to break the customs seal and the container door was open. This time it wasn’t dead people, but a bunch of women inside. Beric held his head in his hands as he heard continous mumbling and muttering in Ibbenese…<br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was a rather progressive chapter, which was difficult on many levels. I have to say, I am quite satisfied with the turnout.</p><p>The lack of interaction between Jon and Dany might upset some of you and I understand that. Still, the plot needs to move forward a little for them to fully come together and we're getting there.</p><p>The next chapter will be mainly flashbacks, explaining more and more backstories about the characters, not to mention a little Jon and Dany.</p><p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Past and Future Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We go through the events transcribed within the last twelve years, starting with Jon's rise to the top in King's Landing, Oberyn's struggles throughout time, how Lyanna became who she is, the horrors Beric witnessed and finally a small portion of Dany's journey to Winterfell.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well...</p>
<p>I can only explain this long absence with being life-struck. Real life got in the way big time, job hunts, presentations, project developments and so on all going at high speed but reaching no conclusion practically drained me during this time. Hopefully things will be a little better from now on and I will be able to find the time to write in a steady rythym.</p>
<p>You will see year marks at some of the flashbacks, which are there so there won't be any confusion. For your information, this AU is taking place in 2020 still and we will enter 2021 eventually with chapter 12.</p>
<p>I wanted to get this chapter out as quickly as possible so it's not double checked. Please do point out any mistakes you see and I'll correct them.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>(12 years ago – 2008)<br/><br/><br/>“Not you. You stay.”<br/><br/>“Yes sir.”<br/><br/>“Sit and get comfortable, it’s only us. No one will dare interrupt us here now.”<br/><br/></em>Jon looked around his surroundings once more. The conference room now looked much bigger without all those people in it and here he was, alone with one of the most powerful men in Westeros. Well not quite alone when he thought that his teenage daughter was sitting there as well. The young girl was looking at him with awe but he knew that he couldn’t be distracted or think about shagging the boss’s daughter at that moment. Mr. Martell looked at him warmly for the first time but then turned to his daughter.<br/><br/>“<em>Ari, go wait in my office.This shouldn’t take long.”<br/><br/>“But father, I thought you wanted me more involved with the company. I actually want to sit and be a part of this.”<br/><br/>“You can be a part of it for a little while sure. How about you start by introducing yourself to Mr. John Scottie Ferguson here?”<br/><br/></em>Jon couldn’t help but chuckle at the remark, as Arianne Martell stood up, extended her hand and introduced herself. Not breaking eye contact for a second, Jon shook her hand back but hesitated when it came to saying his name. The boss was luckily there to help him.<br/><br/>“<em>And this here is Mr. Jon Snow, that’s his real name. Okay now Ari, to my office. You’ll need to spend the night here in King’s Landing, but tomorrow you shall be back in Braavos.”<br/><br/></em>The young girl pouted at that but stiill smiled at him before exiting the room. Now he was truly left alone with the boss and he was trembling, not only with fear, but with excitement as well. Maybe a promotion was on the horizon, or then again he could just exit this room with some gratitude and a pat on the back. The mystery of the moment took over him as he kept his eyes on Oberyn Martell. He pointed at the liquor cabinet.<br/><br/>“<em>I was told that you favor single malts in general. Here, have a glass and let’s talk man to man here.”<br/><br/>“Thank you sir.”<br/><br/>“No need to call me sir in private, son. Now you were recommended by a very dear friend of mine. When that letter of recommandation found its way to my office and I was really impressed. I wasn’t expecting such a big save so soon however. You’ve been here for what, two months?”<br/><br/>“It’ll be three months next week.”<br/><br/>“And you are gradutating what, next month?”<br/><br/>“That’s correct. Top of my class.”<br/><br/>“Now that’s impressive Mr. Stark. Oh don’t look at me like that boy; you think I wouldn’t know about your little change of surname which isn’t even official? You will never relinquish your surname while I’m living and breathing and that’s an order. You can use Snow in daily life, that I don’t mind, but you will do as I say.”<br/><br/>“Or else?”<br/><br/>“Or I’ll bury you under so much shit that you’ll have no choice but to resign.”<br/><br/>“Understood.”<br/><br/>“Good. If I had a son, I wouldn’t want him to relinquish his surname, no matter how big our differences were.”<br/><br/>“You cannot possibly know about the differences I have with my father though.”<br/><br/>“I don’t need to. For all I care, your father did a great job bringing you up, considering that your mother died at childbirth.”<br/><br/>“How is it that you know all this? Is this a joke or what?”<br/><br/>“No son, this is no joke. I admit, not every intern or future employee gets this much background check, but with you, I had high expectations so I had you thoroughly investigated.”<br/><br/>“Surely this isn’t about some recommendation though? I mean I know that Professor Forel is a financial wizard and he likes me a lot, but that shouldn’t be enough.”<br/><br/>“Of course it isn’t enough. Then again his letter included a few other things other than your financial skills. Your precisions about social class differences, your love of nature, your leadership and communication skills were all praised, did you know that?”<br/><br/>“No I mean…”<br/><br/>“Mr. Forel wrote a very detailed letter which was addressed directly to me. Usually a letter of recommendation gets lost in HR. I knew you would be something in the future, I just didn’t expect you to crash the scene this fast. Plus, that solution of yours, very creative, very smart and very quick on your feet… In return however, I’ll reward you in such a way that you cannot imagine. Now I want you to graduate, no questions asked. Afterwards however, you have your reward waiting for you. A six-month internship at the Iron Bank is the start of it.”<br/><br/>“What, you can’t be serious?”<br/><br/>“But I am. See, if everything goes well with your internship, you will come back here, sign a multi year, six-figure contract as a start and we’ll move from there. How does that sound?”<br/><br/>“It sounds… wonderful.”<br/><br/>“Good. From now on, every time you check-in at work, you will come and report to me okay?”<br/><br/>“Yes Mr. Martell.”<br/><br/>“Good. One more thing though…”<br/><br/>“Uhm, yes?”<br/><br/>“I figured you like your movies. Every week you’ll come to my house, we’ll dine first, then we’ll sit down and watch a movie together.”<br/><br/>“I would love that.”<br/><br/>“Good. Now get out and go back to your cubicle to gather your things. Meanwhile, observe fellow interns and try assembling your team.”<br/><br/>“Already?”<br/><br/>“Yes. You might not understand this yet, but it’s important to establish long lasting connections, even amongst your peers. Do your research, pick at least two solid workers and keep an eye on them.”<br/><br/>“Yes sir.”<br/><br/>“Alright then, off you go.”<br/><br/></em>It felt like he was involved in a scene from a movie and he couldn’t believe himself. Jon always knew that he was smart and very quick on his feet, but throughout his life these qualities had never been rewarded. At that moment, he understood that his skills and the person he had raised himself to be was finally being recognized for what he was and he felt proud. Trying his best to contain his joy, he silently entered the office area and headed straight to his cubicle to gather his things. He took a look at the screen still running in front of him and the changes in the stock market caught his attention. The massive selling of shares had left them looking like they were vulnerable for a moment but the little spark in the value was just the beginning of it. Come morning, he knew that a massive crisis would have been averted and Martell Investmens would rule the stock market. He grabbed his bag and turned around to leave, only to find the head of the legal, staring at him.<br/><br/>“<em>So… What did Mr. Martell want from you?”<br/><br/>“Uhm Mr. Baelish, I’m not allowed to say anything.”<br/><br/>“Did you sign a confidentiality agreement boy? Why can’t you say anything?”<br/><br/>“Mr. Martell forbade me from speaking about anything that was spoken behind close doors.”<br/><br/>“So you are honoring him with your allegiance. Smart move Snow, very smart move… Still, I need you to understand that I’m still your and pretty much everyone else’s superior here. You will answer to me when called up on, is that understood?”<br/><br/>“Yes Mr. Baelish, of course.”<br/><br/>“Good boy. Off you go now; we all have a long day ahead of us.”<br/><br/></em>He nodded to the man and rushed to the elevator, trying to remember what his father had said to him about ranks and superiors.<br/><br/>“<em>Any man who must say ‘I am the king’ is no true king.”<br/><br/></em>He huffed and smiled to himself, knowing that he was going to butt heads with Baelish for years to come. He knew enough that he wasn’t going to take Martell backing him for granted but he also knew that this Baelish would do everything in his power to make his life a living hell. With the ding of the elevator, he walked in and pressed the button. He barely heard someone shouting to hold the door so he kept the door open. A really beautiful woman rushed to the door and entered the elevator, trying to catch her breath.<br/><br/>“<em>Did you just say HODOR?”<br/><br/>“That’s what happens when you’re trying to run and scream at the same time.”<br/><br/></em>Jon just smiled at the woman, who clearly like him, was an intern who had stayed late and overworked. The woman looked tired and worn out, but still that was only visible if you looked at her closely. He took a step towards the woman and extended his hand.<br/><br/>“<em>Hi, I’m Jon.”<br/><br/>“I’m Margaery, pleased to meet you.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(2 days later)<br/><br/><br/>“An intern is responsible from all this?”<br/><br/>“Yes Mr. Lannister.”<br/><br/>“Remind me again, why we bought all of this stock?”<br/><br/>“It looked advantegous at the moment sir.”<br/><br/>“It looked advantegous huh? Oberyn Martell suddenly sells a lot of stock and you idiots thought it was a good idea to buy from him?”<br/><br/></em>The room was afraid of him, he could tell. He signaled at everyone to leave, leaving him alone with his son, Tyrion. His heir Jaime surely had the looks to fill his position but Tywin knew that it would be up to Tyrion to carry on his legacy. He walked to the liquor cabinet, popped open a bottle of wine and poured two glasses of it. Tyrion looked surprised at the gesture but didn’t lose his cool.<br/><br/>“<em>So, thinking that you’re the smarter one, I want you to walk me through what has taken place.”<br/><br/></em>After taking a sip of his wine, Tyrion took out his phone and started playing a video. Tywin didn’t understand what that was in the beginning and he was getting ready to dismiss Tyrion as well. Suddenly he realized what was going on and focused on the video immediately.<br/><br/><em>“Simple. We sell ALL the shares before the Stock Exchange opens. We do it tonight, all of it, to Essosi companies. Westerosi officials will pretend that they didn’t notice this, simply because it’s good for the national economy. If anything gets in the way, I’m sure Mr. Martell can make a few calls so nothing stands in our way.”<br/><br/></em>That little shit was right and they had pulled of the biggest scheme the stock market had seen in years, while setting him up to be the fall guy. He looked at Tyrion, who looked expressionless, but ready to speak. He nodded at his son to start explaining, as he listened to the details in horror.<br/><br/>“<em>So this was an analyst, an intern who figured this out. Martell was about to go under but this little shit saved him. Now I know you probably want to secure his services in the near future but it’s going to be difficult. Syrio Forel was who recommended him to Martell Investments, before even he graduated.”<br/><br/>“Who the fuck is this kid?”<br/><br/>“The name is Jon Stark, although he goes by Snow here in King’s Landing. Clearly not a fan of his surname and probably has daddy issues.”<br/><br/>“You speak of him like he’s one of your conquests.”<br/><br/>“He could be one of my conquests if you want him to come over to our side.”<br/><br/>“No, clearly we cannot do that at the time. Wait, you said that he hasn’t even graduated yet?”<br/><br/>“That’s right. He’ll graduate this spring, a month or two from now.”<br/><br/>“Fuck. That means the viper has already poisoned his mind by offering him a long term contract.”<br/><br/>“That’s probably correct father. Anything you want from me, just say the word.”<br/><br/>“Keep an eye on the kid, conduct a thorough research about him and buy out whoever is close to him at school.  If he has friends here, he might be tempted to jump ship in the future.”<br/><br/>“Right. Anything else father?”<br/><br/>“Oh, and call Robert once we’re done. Tell him to get his ass over to King’s Landing. I have business with him.”<br/><br/>“I thought we were getting out of the harbor business now that Blackwater is lost?”<br/><br/>“Not really Tyrion. That isn’t something we can get out of, not yet at least. You might want to get out of it once I’m gone, but that’s about that. Go now, I have things to do.”<br/><br/></em>Sensing the emergency, Robert had rushed to King’s Landing and met him on the same day. He on the other hand had retreated to the golf course he liked so much, since nobody would come and bother him with anything. His sons knew well enough to take care of the daily business during his retreats and no one but Robert Baratheon would actually be able to come see him. The big fat man rode with a golf-cart and was presented to him immediately. Tywin paid him no mind until he hit his shot and then turned to greet him.<br/><br/>“<em>Glad you could come this fast. We’ve got trouble.”<br/><br/>“Walk me through what happened, step by step.”<br/><br/>“That fucker sold all the mortgage shares to my overseas companies and dodged the crisis. Two of the companies which bought the shares naturally tanked and will declare bankruptcy by the end of the month but these aren’t the biggest issues. Money can be brought to Westerosi soil and that’s not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that the Pentoshi shell company that owned the Blackwater Harbor went under and Oberyn took advantage of it. He now owns the Blackwater Harbor and I believe you know what that means to the organization.”<br/><br/>“Of course I do. Good thing is that I have an appointment with Mr. Martell next month. Handling this today or a month from now means nothing and you know that. Let me do my homework before I get under his skin.”<br/><br/>“You mean to use force?”<br/><br/>“No, you know me. No brute strength unless I’m very much in need. I’m not that young anymore and you know that.”<br/><br/>“So what is your plan?”<br/><br/>“Fear of exposure naturally. We both know about his gambling addiction and I’m going to use it against him.”<br/><br/>“To Tarth then?”<br/><br/>“Of course, you know that I own the island now. I’ll set him up and make him pay.”<br/><br/>“He will treat you like shit, starting from the moment you walk into his office.”<br/><br/>“Good, I’m counting on it. I want him to work me up so I can be motivated enough for all this.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><em><br/></em><br/><em>(2 weeks later)<br/><br/></em><br/>He was so damn excited that he couldn’t contain himself.<br/><br/>For the past two weeks, every day he showed up at work, Jon would go check-in with the boss, spend five to ten minutes with him while Mr. Martell went through the daily reports. Today however, was different. After a few hours of analyzing raw data, he had been summoned to Mr. Martell’s office. Right after ending the conversation with Mr. Martell’s secretary, he rushed to the bathroom to check on himself. After fixing his hair, he took one more look at himself in the mirror and left the bathroom satisfied. He took the elevator to the top floor and walked towards the boss’s office. He greeted the secretary with a nod and waited to be invited inside. There was an ongoing loud discussion inside the office and despite his best efforts to try and avoid eavesdropping, he heard his boss roar with anger.<br/><br/>“<em>YOU INCOMPETENT, BACKSTABBING, SNIVELING PIECE OF SHIT, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE! NOW!”<br/><br/></em>The doors opened as Petyr Baelish walked out unsteadily. The man clearly looked like he suffered from a long session of verbal abuse and his face was showing it. Jon tried to pay him no mind but at the same time he knew that he had to acknowledge his superior. He was trying to play it nice with Baelish as he didn’t want to be antagonized by the man. He rose from his seat and nodded at the man, who paid him no mind and just went past by him. He was brought to his senses by his boss’s voice, as he found the man standing by the door with a small smile on his face.<br/><br/>“<em>Come on in now, I don’t have all day and we have work to do.”<br/><br/></em>He looked around the office with awe to see very expensive paintings on the walls. The office was modest in design and that had surprised him. He would have expected this office to be filled with lots of things, pictures and accomplishments and so on, but clearly Oberyn Martell liked to keep it simple. Classical music was playing in the background and lucky for him, he knew what it was.<br/><br/>“<em>Can you tell me what that is, playing in the background?”<br/><br/>“That’s Schubert’s second piano trio in E-flat.”<br/><br/>“Correct. Which movie highlighted this piece of music?”<br/><br/>“Barry Lyndon.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>Good. Remember Jon, money can buy you a lot of things, but doesn’t make you a cultured man. For that, you will always need to improve yourself, always stay a step ahead of the people around you. Now the reason I’ll tell you is that I’m sure you heard the unpleasant shouting before you came in. That man Baelish, is a good lawyer for sure, but a pile of shit is worth more than him to me, because he’s a pretender.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean?”<br/><br/>“Baelish has been with the company for about ten years now. He was the star pupil of his class in the Vale and came straight to King’s Landing for the job hunt. Now I need to admit, things were easier back then of course, but still a struggle is a struggle. Being the smartass he is, he quickly rose through the ranks and as you know, is now the head of the legal. I always took pride on having him rise through the ranks; especially he was brave enough to pitch a settlement idea directly to me, rather than accepting defeat and bowing down to his superior.”<br/><br/>“But?”<br/><br/>“But, no matter how much effort was put into it, he never became the man I envisioned him to be. I’m telling you all these, because I know that you have the potential to become the man I envision you to be.Tell me now, what kind of man you want to be?”<br/><br/>“I want to be fair.”<br/><br/>“Elaborate fair.”<br/><br/>“If I were to be the head of something, I would reward performance, use non work-related means to motivate them and would pay attention to the lowest class of workers.”<br/><br/>“And why is that?”<br/><br/>“Because if the working class are happy with what they’re doing, then we can get the best results.”<br/><br/>“Is it because you are now belonging to one of the lowest class of workers here?”<br/><br/>“No not really. The thing is, my father is loaded but he isn’t a cultured man. He wanted me to continue his legacy, he had this obsession about it, but I wanted no part of it. He would beat me up because he didn’t know any other way of communicating with me. He dismissed anything lower than him or his station and that disgusted me.”<br/><br/>“So you don’t want to be your father and you actually want to be the opposite of everything he stands for, am I correct?”<br/><br/>“That is correct.”<br/><br/>“It is good motivation son, I have to admit. My father was an asshole too so I can relate a little for sure, but then again every family has different problems and for the time being, your problems are yours alone. Then again, you cannot base your life decisions on things like these. Sure, you probably won’t end up like your father, but then again all that hard work will prevent you from becoming your own man.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean?”<br/><br/>“Let go of your hatred for your father and instead focus on what you can do for yourself. I won’t have you sulking in Braavos for six months because you have daddy issues. You will work hard, perfect your Valyrian and enjoy the simple pleasures of life in your spare time, even if that means you act like your father every now and then. Am I clear enough this time?”<br/><br/>“Yes sir.”<br/><br/>“Good. Now go get your coat. You’re coming with me to the harbor.”<br/><br/>“The harbor?”<br/><br/>“Blackwater Harbor is ours, thanks to your little trickery. I’m sure you want to take a good look at your first win.”<br/><br/>“O-of course. I’ll get my coat.”<br/><br/></em>Blackwater Harbor was massive and Jon was so out of his league here. He had no idea about how things were handled here and if he was to be honest; his boss was out of his comfort zone as well. Surely Oberyn had ideas about how to modernize the area and revitalize the trade, but all those meant that he would tear down the fucking place and rebuild it from scratch. The previous owner, Illyrio Mopatis looked disorientated and nervous every time Oberyn spoke and Jon could sense the man was trying to hide something. Still it wasn’t his place to intervene so he kept his mouth shut and let his boss do the talking.<br/><br/>“<em>Oh cut the crap Mopatis, we both know that your father was a simple cheesemonger in Pentos when President Orys Baratheon privatized this place and gave it to him overnight. Three presidents came and went by after Orys and I will modernize this place. You can go back to Pentos to deal with cheese again.”<br/><br/></em>The big fat man gulped after what proved to be the final remark from his boss and moved away. After a brief tour around, they were again escorted back to Oberyn’s private vehicle. Oberyn looked really upset with how things had been handled and he was clearly irritated by this Mopatis. Oberyn didn’t immediately get into his car as seats were brought out from the vehicle’s trunk and Oberyn gestured for him to sit. A very expensive single malt was brought for the boss and Jon couldn’t believe his eyes when he was also served the same drink. A cigar was cut and served to his boss and Jon smiled at that. He wasn’t necessarily a cigar man and would prefer sticking to cigarettes anyway. Oberyn raised his glass to him and started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>Did you understand what that was?”<br/><br/>“Uhm, not really.<br/><br/>“That was existential envy. This cheesemonger was a fucking idiot and will go on to live his life as a fucking idiot. Do you know why?”<br/><br/>“No. Why though?”<br/><br/>“Ressentiment. Ever read Max Scheler?”<br/><br/>“I was curious about him but then again, my father forbade me from uhm… in his words… reading such shit.”<br/></em><br/>“<em>There is this one very, very important quote, which is actually a great lesson for life Jon.”<br/><br/>“I could use a lesson right now to be honest.”<br/><br/>“I can forgive everything but not that you are—that you are what you are—that I am not what you are—indeed that I am not you.”</em><br/><br/>He smiled once the sentence was finished and Jon couldn’t help but smile as well. That one sentence had explained so many things about his life and summarized it for him in mere seconds. He wanted to show his appreciation to Oberyn, but didn’t know how. The older man took one big puff from his cigar and watched him digest that long and meaningful quote.<br/><br/>“<em>Mr. Martell I…”<br/><br/>“No, not yet and there is no rush. I know that you don’t have the words or gestures to show your appreciation, but in time you will. In any case, it’s still my turn to show my appreciation for the big save you made.” </em><br/><br/>When Jon asked what next, his boss simply responded that he was getting a ride home and didn’t need to get back to work today. It took him a while to notice that the car didn’t take the turn to his neighborhood and instead was heading towards the plazas where most of the rich lived. Jon gave his boss a questioning look but Oberyn paid him no mind so he decided to ask.<br/><br/>“<em>Uhm Mr. Martell, this isn’t where I live. We already passed the turn for my neighborhood.”<br/><br/>“No Jon, this is where you live. You thought I would let you rot in that shithole you call home? I already had your stuff moved from your old apartment to the new one. Welcome to your new home.”<br/><br/></em>He didn’t know how to show his gratitude and for the rest of the way, he grinned like an idiot. Oberyn came upstairs with him as workers were continously bringing newly bought stuff in. At that moment Jon realized that he was being given a new life, a life far away from his father’s abuse, obsessions and anger.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(A month later)<br/><br/><br/></em>“<em>Remember, six months it is. Once the internship is done, you’re back.”<br/><br/>“Yes Mr. Martell.”<br/><br/></em>The boy surely knew how to keep it formal when his wife was around. Over the past month, he had formed a father-son relationship with him outside of the office. The boy had sucked information out of him non-stop and he was transforming quickly. Time had come for his formal training to begin and the least Oberyn thought he could do was to give the kid a ride to the airport. Once they had reached the gates and Jon was about to get out, he took one of the company cards and handed it to him.”<br/><br/><em>“Six months. That Valyrian will be perfected and I want you to remember what we talked about at the harbor.”<br/><br/>“Of course sir. I will report at every opportunity I get.”<br/><br/></em>He smiled and watched the young man gather his cabin baggage, as his wife told Jon to keep an eye on Arianne for them. Oberyn knew that the task was near impossible but Jon would do his best for sure. Once the doors were closed and the young man went indoors, he turned to Ellaria and asked the one thing that had been bugging him.<br/><br/>“<em>Ever heard the name Robert Baratheon? He has an appointment with me today.”<br/><br/>“Uhm no, but I guess related to Orys Baratheon somehow?”<br/><br/>“Might be. I was wondering if you encountered someone like that in Storm’s End during those trade conferences with the government officials.”<br/><br/>“Now that I think of it, no.”<br/><br/>“Alright then. Will it be too much trouble for you to come back with me to the office? I’d feel more comfortable with you by my side. I’m not so fond of government officials or people who are backed by them.”<br/><br/>“I need to be somewhere else Oberyn, you know it.”<br/><br/>“Sure, a meeting with the Lannisters.”<br/><br/>“Tyrion Lannister to be specific. You know that he’s the nicest of them.”<br/><br/>“He’s the smartest for sure. I’m not comfortable with you being in so close contact with that family.”<br/><br/>“I’m only doing my job my love. Besides, you need your relations with them to be stable and it’s good that calmer heads are handling the business.”<br/><br/></em>With that the conversation ended and soon after Ellaria was dropped off to her destination. Oberyn felt nervous about this appointment he had but he knew he had to be professional anyway. After reaching the office, he had half an hour to himself and this Robert Baratheon had impeccable timing. After a brief introduction and exchange of pleasantries, Baratheon got to the point very quickly.<br/><br/>“<em>So Mr. Martell, I heard about your plans for revitalizing the trade in Blackwater Harbor. I used to be a shareholder when Mopatis owned it and well to put this delicately, I hated how things were there. I’m aware that you’re a visionary and I would like a seat at the table. You plan to build a small shopping mall there, right? I’d like to open up an office, a car gallery for enthusiasts so to say and I’m willing to pay any price you ask.”<br/><br/>“Mr. Baratheon I see your point, but I’m afraid we cannot have a government affiliated person within our borders. The Essosi investors won’t like it that much and need I remind you that they are the ones who are bringing in the goods. I need to stay professional here and put my clients’s interests above yours for the time being.<br/><br/>“That’s why I’m offering to become a client for you. Plus you’ll have the backing of the Westerosi government with my presence. That would help you out with taxation as well.”<br/><br/>“How to put this delicately uhm… You probably know that half of the Braavosi money runs through my companies before entering Westeros. I have the Iron Bank’s backing; therefore everything needs to be done by the books. I cannot give you what you want, not in the next five years anyway. Once the trade is stable enough, then you might get your office.”<br/><br/>“Very well then, thank you for your time Mr. Martell. You must be very busy so I’ll slowly get going. By the way, between us gentlemen here, I heard you like gambling?”<br/><br/>“It is a hobby of mine yes, but I hate those underground casinos, especially with those online poker babies flooding the places.”<br/><br/>“You might want to join us in Tarth perhaps? There are private games for professionals, or let’s say, people who take it like a hobby like yourself but play it for the thrill of it.”<br/><br/>“Oh I would love to join if there are any games soon. I’m seriously considering going to west of Westeros to find some good quality, old-fashioned casino with a quality poker game.”<br/><br/>“We’ll let you know Mr. Martell, have a good day.”<br/><br/></em>The fat man then slowly exited room and left Oberyn alone with his thoughts. He had unnerved him in the most uncomfortable way with his presence but then again Oberyn never backed down from people like Robert Baratheon. He had made sure with all the appearances that he was the superior person in the room and to his surprise; the fat man had played along. Then again he had backed down all too easily and it didn’t feel right. He decided to take his mind off things and checked his phone to see two messages. First one was from Jon, who had notified him of safely landing and arriving at the Sealord Hotel. The second was from his wife, letting him know that the minor complications on the takeover with the Pentoshi companies were now solved and they could move on. He desperately wanted to have some time off and quietly spend time with his wife so he texted her back about having dinner at their favorite restaurant tonight and put his phone away after the affirmative response.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It was love at first sight and she couldn’t manage to get him out of her mind since day one.<br/><br/>In truth, she had no shortage of men. Everyone threw themselves at her, mostly because they wanted to seduce the heir to Martell Investments. Ari paid them no mind, had her fun every now and then but what really impressed her was quick wit and determination. Jon was physically her type but at the same time the first impression he made on her would last forever. She had lost count of how many times she fantasized about him but it didn’t matter anymore. She would have him in the flesh, in a matter of hours. She had prepared the perfect plan, dinner, nightclub and finally she would have him in her bed and would never let go. Her driver was to pick him up from the airport and bring him to the suite right next to hers, where he would spend the next six months. Ari knew that she wanted to make the best out of those six months, establish a long lasting relationship and as she would return to Westeros only a few days after him, they would then start working together. Once her father would step down, it would be just the two of them, ruling the world together. <br/><br/>Once she received the confirmation from her driver that Jon was picked up and they were on their way, she started counting the seconds. The usual drive would take about twenty minutes to the hotel so she checked her hair once, made sure her make-up was perfect and her clothing was in place. Oh how she wanted him to tear this dress up and fuck her like no one had ever. She had waited six weeks for him and now he was so close. She checked the time once more and noticing that he was maybe minutes away, she decided to get down to the lobby. With a big smile on her face, she walked around, inspected the environment a little and actually noticed that she had never spent this much time at the lobby ever, despite having stayed here for about two years now. Just when she was about to get lost in the details of the beautifully crafted space, she noticed the car approaching. The car was parked and her driver immediately opened his door so he could get out. He certainly looked tired from the journey but that was okay, she was here for him now. Once he made his way inside and passed through the revolving door, she couldn’t contain herself anymore and just ran at him and within seconds they were on the ground and he had a look of surprise on his face. She smiled at him lovingly as she only mouthed welcome to him.<br/><br/>“<em>That uhm… certainly wasn’t the welcome I was expecting.”<br/><br/>“Good, I wanted to surprise you.How was the journey?”<br/><br/>“Fine I guess… I was just thinking maybe we got up from the floor first and continue this conversation in the suite?”<br/><br/></em>She just nodded to him and planted a kiss on his lips, to which he didn’t respond but it was okay. They were going to have plenty of time together and she was going to break his shell anyway. They took the elevator in comfortable silence and moved straight to his suite. He was clearly awestruck after seeing the giant living space and the luxurious items. She smiled at him sincerely, which was returned. He rolled his suitcase inside and immedaitely got started with unpacking. Although he looked comfortable with all this silence, she had things to say so she cleared her throat to get his attention.<br/><br/><em>“So I took the liberty of making reservations for dinner and drinks afterwards.”<br/><br/>“Uhm okay… I was just thinking that maybe I’d order something in and you know… rest a little so I would look presentable enough tomorrow.”<br/><br/>“Jon… I waited six weeks to get alone time with you. Can you at least pretend to look interested a little?”<br/><br/>“You waited six weeks, I’m sorry and what are you talking about?”<br/><br/>“I’ve been waiting to be alone with you since the day we met. You’re not getting it do you?”<br/><br/>“Not getting what?”<br/><br/>“That I’m into you idiot.”<br/><br/>“Oh that… Look, I didn’t do anything that could mislead you. I was just polite towards you in any case. We barely met once, if you can call that a meeting even.”<br/><br/>“Oh so I’m imagining things here?”<br/><br/>“I didn’t say anything like that and you know it.”<br/><br/>“All I know is that you’re being an asshole.”<br/><br/>“What did I do now?”<br/><br/>“Why are you like this?”<br/><br/>“Like what? Are you trying to tell me that I’m crazy, is that it?”<br/><br/>“No, not that but…”<br/><br/>“BUT WHAT?”<br/><br/>“You know that I’m here for business. Your father sent me on a limited time with a specific assessment.”<br/><br/>“I’m very well aware of that. I’m also pretty much aware that my father told you to have fun at the same time.”<br/><br/>“That he did.”<br/><br/>“Well then, why are you acting like you have something stuck up your ass?”<br/><br/>“I’m acting like what?”<br/><br/>“Never mind, are you in? I seriously put a lot of effort into planning this.”<br/><br/>“Fine, let me unpack, get changed and then we’ll have dinner. I’ll come for one drink, but one drink only. I need to be at the Iron Bank by 7.30 am tomorrow.”<br/><br/>“Don’t worry; I wouldn’t want you to miss your important first day. First impressions are always important.”<br/><br/></em>With that she left. This was going to be a wonderful time with him and she was going to enjoy every second of it.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>The sight horrified her.<br/><br/>She was under the dinner table, trying to hold her brother, who was shaking violently. Her father had just shot her mother and she was lying in a pool of her own blood. She was too scared to make eye contact with her father but he was too lost to be able to look at anyone anyway. She first heard the sirens from outside and later the banging on the doors started. An officer was shouting her father’s name, who was also an officer himself. Lyanna had never understood her father’s job, but thinking that she was only seven years old, she didn’t know whether she was meant to understand anything like this. She did her best to keep her brother stable as the banging on the door got louder and louder. Suddenly with a crack, the door was broken and a number of police officers swarmed the apartment. A female officer immediately pulled Lyanna and her brother from under the table and led them outside. Before taking the final step she locked eyes with her father, who stared blank. Lyanna stared at him coldly for what he had done but didn’t possess the strength to avenge the situation, let alone make up for it. After she turned her head and faced the door, a loud bang was heard, which meant her father had joined her mother and she was now an orphan.<br/><br/>Days came and went as she just kept quiet. She refused to talk to anyone, unless it was a necessity or she needed help with something. Her brother was sent to Skagos, as her father’s sister had willingly picked him up but didn’t bother taking her in. She was given a vague explanation about the Skagosi customs demeaning women and so on but she paid it no mind. She knew that whether it was an orphanage or with a foster-family, she was going to survive. She was aware that she was already smarter than anyone else around her but there was one thing she couldn’t understand. All the people around her kept telling her that it was okay to be sad or angry, while she didn’t feel anything. What’s done was done and it couldn’t be undone, therefore she didn’t need to pound her head over it. <br/><br/>A few weeks went by as she was now sure that she would spend the rest of her days at an orphanage, until she could make it out of there. Her temporary residence at Bear Island’s Institute for whatever was coming to an end.  While a few of the workers who tended to their needs paid her no mind, there was one woman who was always kind and nice towards her. She also understood that Lyanna was smarter than the others and let her be; while the others struggled with the basic education that they were meant to get before they could all return to school.  On her final day, Lyanna was summoned to the headmaster’s office, where the nice lady was also waiting. The lady gave her a warm glass of milk, while the headmaster slowly slid a pile of papers in front of her. She immediately understood that she was meant to take a test and looked at the headmaster questioningly.<br/><br/>“<em>You have one hour girl.”<br/><br/></em>After twenty-five minutes or so, she was done with whatever this was. She was however, unsure about letting the people know about it but then she really needed to pee and had to get out of the room. The headmaster and the nice lady were waiting for her to be finished right outside the door and after telling them she was done with the test, she hurried to the bathroom. Once she was done, she found the nice lady waiting for her, with a smile on her face.<br/><br/>“<em>We need to get back to the headmaster’s office Lyanna. Someone is waiting for you there.”<br/><br/></em>Without a word, she followed the nice lady to the headmaster’s room.  Apart from the headmaster, there were two older men sitting in the room. One was bald and had a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes, while the other one had graying hair and was well built. She sensed that the strong looking man was nicer so she turned her attention to him. The headmaster then cleared his throat and broke the silence.<br/><br/>“<em>Her test results are unbelievable. She was fast and accurate with all of the questions. Now Mr. Stark, I can assure you that Mrs. Mormont here was right about Lyanna. She really is one of a kind for sure. Unfortunately here in Bear Island, we don’t have the necessary funds to send her to the academy for the children with superior high-intelligence in God’s Eye. For what it’s worth, Lyanna belongs there but we don’t know how to take care of the situation here.”<br/><br/></em>The nice lady was smiling at her, while the strong man looked at her with intent. The bald man however, was expressionless but then again, Lyanna didn’t care that much. Finally it was the strong man who spoke. <br/><br/>“<em>Then it should be taken care of. I will support the little one from now on, until she graduates from college. Tell me what we need to do for this school enrollment.”<br/><br/></em>The nice lady didn’t let the headmaster speak once more, as she kept telling the strong man with excitement in her eyes and a wide smile on her face.<br/><br/>“<em>I will need to adopt her before we can enroll her to that school. If that isn’t much trouble, then all we need is ten-thousand for yearly tuition. The dormitory is free for kids of her age and I can cover the rest of the expenses for sure.”<br/><br/>“Nonsense Alysanne and the adoption isn’t much of a trouble, that’s what Varys is here for. Ten-thousand yearly is nothing for this case. Consider it all done.”<br/><br/></em>The strong man then turned to her with a sincere smile on his face.<br/><br/>“<em>Now Lyanna… Tell me where you want to go next.”<br/><br/>“A ballet class... I would like to take a ballet class.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/>The dinner had relaxed him a little.<br/><br/>That weird encounter with Robert Baratheon had unnerved him, but Oberyn had found peace after going to his favorite restaurant with his wife. While Ellaria had been a bit distant lately, she seemed content with how they were for the past week or two. Still, at that moment, none of it mattered really. He was having his favorite food, accompanied by some exquisite Dornish red, accompanied with his most favorite person in the world. He took a good look at his wife, who smiled at him half-heartedly. <br/><br/>“<em>What are you smiling at?”<br/><br/>“Nothing special, can’t I be smiling at my wife?”<br/><br/>“Oh stop it Oby, we’re not teenagers anymore.”<br/><br/>“Well, you do like spicing things up. How about we take a trip to Dragonstone this weekend?”<br/><br/>“I don’t mind that, but then again, isn’t Ari visiting us this weekend?”<br/><br/>“Oh, I think she’ll choose to stay in Braavos now that Jon is there too.”<br/><br/>“You mean to tell me that our daughter has a crush on your star apprentice?”<br/><br/>“I noticed something like that. It would be nice if they got more acquainted with each other during his stay.”<br/><br/>“What do you mean?”<br/><br/>“I mean that if they developed a relationship and went all the way, it would be good for the future of our family, not to mention the firm.”<br/><br/>“I wouldn’t be so sure about that Oby. Jon is clearly very preserved and is likely to rebuff Ari’s advances. Our daughter is used to getting whatever she wants and Jon isn’t something that she can just take like that.”<br/><br/>“We’ll see how that goes. Let’s see how things are when they both get back.”<br/><br/></em>Just as Ellaria nodded to him with a smile, the doors to the private hall opened and in walked Tywin Lannister with his son Tyrion by his side. The sight had disturbed Oberyn as he hated Tywin with a burning passion for his bossy behavior. The two had butted heads in countless arguments about investments, while Tywin tried currying favor with the Braavosi despite his presence; he had also blocked Oberyn from approaching the Westerosi officials at national and international conventions. Ellaria was currently holding talks with them for the harbor affairs; therefore she was friendly, at least with Tyrion. Both Lannisters gave them a curt nod and walked past by to their table nearby the balcony. His mood had soured noticebly and Ellaria once again, looked uninterested about the whole thing. He needed to do something to change the air in the room and he needed to do it fast so he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.<br/><br/>“<em>I’m heading to Winterfell tomorrow.”<br/><br/>“Winterfell? What’s there for you to do in Winterfell?”<br/><br/>“There’s someone I want to meet. Plus you know… The food… Even though I’m so full right now, the thought is even watering my mouth.”<br/><br/></em>Before Ellaria could say anything, his cigar was cut and brought to him and his digestive was served. The waiter also carried an envelope with his name written on it. He quickly dismissed the waiter and opened the envelope, only to find an invitation to a poker game being held in Tarth. He chuckled inwardly and just put the invitation to the table. Ellaria surely wasn’t very happy about this and her face showed.<br/><br/>“<em>Are you going to Tarth?”<br/><br/>“Well you know, I just want to go and gamble somewhere. If this doesn’t work, I’ll sail to the west of Westeros.”<br/><br/></em>Come next morning, Oberyn woke up way too early, got himself ready and left without making a sound, being extra careful to not to wake Ellaria up. His private jet and his disguise were ready for the trip. He was to meet Robett Glover at the Winterfell Trade Center, pretend to be interested in an investment and eventually, have lunch at the famous Moat. The thrill of meeting his apprentice’s father had taken over him both during the flight and his visit at the trade center. Once they had arrived at The Moat however, Oberyn was filled with admiration, as he set his eyes on the finest restaurant he had ever seen up to that day.<br/><br/>They were immediately welcomed at the door by the head-waiter and were seated in a private area. Oberyn looked around the restaurant and it was way more organized that anything he had set his foot in. That fool Robett had gloated about being childhood friends with Ned Stark throughout the ride and had guaranteed that Oberyn would leave, with the urge of coming back at the earliest possible time. For all the foods worth, Oberyn also wanted to get the measure of Ned, try to see what was similar and what was different between him and Jon. Once the appetizers arrived, Robett signaled at the head waiter and told the man that they would like to have a word with Ned. The head waiter nodded and went inside and within a few minutes, out came Ned Stark. He had little to no expression on his face when he exited the room, but once he started interacting with the tables on his way to theirs; Oberyn saw the man smile sincerely, as he bid the customers bon apetit and continued his approach towards the private area. He was well built, some of his hair was graying already and his hands looked really big. Once they were introduced, he experienced the handshake to be crushingly strong. All he could do was to mumble that he was honored, while Ned barely smiled and stayed humble at the expression. Plate after plate was served as Oberyn lost himself in the food, almost forgetting the reason why he was here in the first place. He was out to get the measure of Ned Stark and he intended to do that. He took a sip of his water and leaned back. After examining the man’s face, he took out his cigar from its tube and lit it, offering a cigarillo to both Robett and Ned as well. Once the smoke cleared, then he initiated the conversation.<br/><br/>“<em>Mr. Stark, this has to be the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life and I’ve been all around the world. None of the Essosi cuisines would stand a chance against this and the restaurant culture that we have in King’s Landing would need to kneel and kiss your hand to show its appreciation.”<br/><br/>“Please, call me Ned. I am humbled though I have to admit. Such praise coming from a man of your stature means a lot.”<br/><br/>“Oh please Ned, I’m sure tons of celebrities and important people come and go by here. I’m only an investment banker with little influence. I have a question for you though… Would you consider setting up shop in King’s Landing? I would love to provide the capital for you if you just said yes.”<br/><br/>“Look into my eyes and answer for yourself. Do you see a man who would step outside of the North when you look at me?”<br/><br/>“Oh I see… Let’s pretend that I never asked that question. Still though, there is no place like The Moat in Westeros. We’d need an inventory of Westerosi cuisine and we lack that. The Essosi are much better in that sense.”<br/><br/>“Couldn’t agree more, I’ve been to a couple of Braavosi restaurants in White Harbor and they present themselves like they own the land.”<br/><br/>“That’s correct and it’s an impressive approach. The Braavosi are like that though, free people doing free things and building their legacies. Speaking of legacies though… do you have children? Who will run this place after you?”<br/><br/></em>He now knew that he’d caught him and he chuckled inwardly at the tension building within the brute sitting across the table. He had always taken pride in creating tension in situations like these to actually take over the conversations and embed his will into them. He decided to not to give any breathing space to the man and continued.<br/><br/>“<em>The new generation isn’t interested in continuing family businesses.That’s why restaurants such as yours now don’t exist in King’s Landing. Though I’m sure you have your apprentices here, who can continue the tradition so that your legacy can live on.”<br/><br/></em>Within these sentences Oberyn witnessed the man become tenser, then grow red with anger and feel relieve once he mentioned the apprentices. He smiled at the man and urged him to make his point.<br/><br/>“<em>Of course I have three of them here with me, two of them whom have been with me since they were little kids. They will continue the tradition.”</em><br/><br/>“<em>That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I’m really glad that things are working out like that in here. It would be a shame to find something completely different here, if I were to return as an old man.”<br/><br/></em>To that, Ned Stark just smiled and signaled to the head waiter for coffee and digestives. They were immediately left alone after serving and the three of them exchanged ideas about how to spark the trade here in Winterfell. After promising to return in the near future, Oberyn decided to excuse himself and made his move.<br/><br/>“<em>Well, I should slowly get going. I still need to get back to King’s Landing this evening, for there are many documents that need to be reviewed.”<br/><br/>“Are you sure? I would love to host you at the mansion for the night.”<br/><br/>“Maybe next time Ned, but surely I will return one day.”<br/><br/></em>After overpaying and tipping the waiter more generously than usual despite Ned’s protests, Oberyn slowly rose from his seat and started moving towards the vehicle that was supposed to take him to the airport. With the corner of his eye, he saw Ned telling Robett to go wait in the car and for a brief moment the two of them were alone. He extended his hand to Ned and the brute’s grasp almost broke his hand but he knew that he couldn’t back down now. After staring at him for a while, without any expression on his face, Ned caught him off guard with a sentence that he wasn’t expecting at all.<br/><br/>“<em>Take care of the boy.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>I will protect him as he’s my own, don’t worry.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(A Few Months Later)</em><br/><br/><br/>It was mess after mess after mess.<br/><br/>During the weekdays Jon would get up at 6 in the morning, exercise a little, grab a cup of coffee on his way out and check in at work 7.30 sharp. His Valyrian was much, much better than the time he had first arrived and he was getting a grasp of things about international trade, not to mention the financial trickeries that he needed to learn to conduct business was falling into his lap. He would give weekly reports to Mr. Martell about his progress at the Iron Bank, while the friendship he had formed with Margaery had been fruitful to say the very least, as she was actively keeping an eye on interns on the rise, now that she had secured a contract herself. He had all the excuses to keep his distance from Arianne during the weekdays, but come weekends, it was all hell breaking loose.<br/><br/>Clearly Ari was a spoiled brat who had no interest in growing up or actually learning a thing or two while she was about to get her degree from the unviersity there.  The young woman’s lack of interest in learning, adapting and culturing herself was boring the shit out of him, as all she wanted to do was party, waste money and then party some more.  She had abused all sorts of substances and had tried advancing at him numerous times under the influence. Jon had finally had enough after she had suffered a crisis in one of the top-notch clubs in the city as they had got kicked out due to her behavior and had come to the conclusion that he needed to talk with her when she was sober. One Sunday afternoon, he brewed some nice and strong Norvoshi coffee and went to her suite. He was determined to draw clear lines and never revisit the topic again. <br/><br/>To his surprise, Ari was already up and having breakfast when he entered her suite. She didn’t look hungover; again much to his surprise but there was a hint of sadness in the way she looked. Quietly he took the seat across from her and gently pushed the coffee towards her. She smiled at the gesture but there was nothing more. Jon couldn’t fathom what was wrong with the attitude in general but decided to play along for the time being, since this was already going to be a difficult conversation and he didn’t want to make things harder than they already were. He cleared his throat, looked her straight in the eyes and started talking.<br/><br/>“<em>You know Ari, I don’t really know how to put this clearly but you need to put an end to this, whatever is that you’re doing. You cannot keep pushing your life down the drain like this. This needs to stop. All the substance abuse, all that drinking… I mean I’m not judging but you are so young and smart and are meant to lead the company after your father…”<br/><br/>“Are you really concerned about me Jon, or is this coming now because you have a month left here and me being me is bothering you? Just be honest, I won’t get mad.”<br/><br/>“Every time I am honest, you get mad Ari.”<br/><br/>“I cannot even if I wanted to. I’m on anti-depressants at the moment. Actually I’ve been on anti-depressants for a while now. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder the last time I was at Westeros. You know the time that I was absent on the weekend because I told you that we were heading to Myr with my friends after the incident at the club? Well, it turns out that my father heard about that and I was called back to King’s Landing and underwent a series of tests there.”<br/><br/>“Ari I’m sorry…”<br/><br/>“Don’t be… You were who you were the whole time. I just couldn’t see it. This doesn’t change that I love you and I always will.”<br/><br/>“I’m really sorry that I can’t return the feelings. I do like you; I really do as a very good friend. You’ve helped me adapt into some things. I cannot repay you with any of those.”<br/><br/>“Oh please, don’t bother. Just promise me one thing though.”<br/><br/>“Sure, what is it?”<br/><br/>“When your time is up here, you’ll go back to King’s Landing and become my father’s number two. Spending time with him… it changes people. You will start losing this, this strong empathy in you. Don’t ever lose that. Please don’t change Jon. Don’t become him.”<br/><br/>“I don’t know what to say…”<br/><br/>“Just promise me.”<br/><br/>“Okay I promise.”<br/><br/>“Good. Now please leave me alone. It’s better if we don’t see until I return to Westeros and that won’t be for a while longer. I just extended my studies for two more terms here to be away from my parents.”<br/><br/>“I guess this is goodbye for now then.”<br/><br/>“Goodbye for now.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(A Month Later)<br/><br/><br/></em>This was going to be the last time he would ask it nicely.<br/><br/>Martell had arrived at Tarth the day before and Robert had given him a grand tour of the island for a day and had him settle at the Evenstar Hotel. He had top-notch accomodations, drinks to flow, a casino to gamble and private lounges for his extramarital activities. The asshole considered himself to be above the society and thought that he could get away with what he wanted, but all this time he wasn’t aware that his wife had been cheating on him with his arch nemesis. Since the takeover, Tywin had wanted to take everything from him and slowly but surely, he was doing that. Martell’s ignorance was going to cost him everything and Robert was going to make sure that they would be in control once they returned to the mainland.<br/><br/>It was very fine weather, but then again the climate of Tarth was very mild despite belonging to the Stormlands. The Dornishman sitting across the table was clearly enjoying the climate and the environment as he took another sip of the exquisite Dornish red that he had ordered to be brought to butter the fucker up. Robert wanted to bash his smug face in but then again he wouldn’t and couldn’t resort to violence anymore like in the old days. This was something he needed to solve diplomatically and he was going to handle it properly. He asked the man if he was happy with everything. Martell gave him a smirk first and then started talking.<br/><br/><em>“You know Mr. Baratheon, I’m sure this trip isn’t just for the poker game promised this evening. I get it, you want a piece of my business and you’re trying to butter me up here to get me to cave. I admire the persistance but I’m afraid my answer is still no.”<br/><br/>“Look Mr. Martell, from businessman to businessman, I’m giving you the chance to double, even triple your profits. You know that this is an international organization and this is all about the money. We’ll set up the network; you won’t even be involved within anything. Things will flow through your possessions and you will just get your money without even lifting a finger.”<br/><br/>“My answer stands Mr. Baratheon. I’m responsible towards the Iron Bank and I cannot disappoint them. The answer is still a clear no.”<br/><br/>“What would it take to convince you?”<br/><br/>“A severed horsehead.”<br/><br/>“What?”<br/><br/>“A severed horsehead, like in the movie Godfather.”<br/><br/>“Oh okay, I see. In any case, the island is ours, your suite is ready and you have a driver waiting for you at all times Mr. Martell. Enjoy your stay.”<br/><br/>“Thank you Mr. Baratheon, I hope we’ll get to do business later on.”<br/><br/></em>Robert then politely stood up and left for the car waiting for him. He had to keep his anger in check once more, for he wanted to smash the guys head onto the glass table separating them when they were sitting. Once he got in the car however, he threw the pen he was holding, sighed audibly and then started ranting.<br/><br/>“<em>Son of a bitch was mocking me… A severed horsehead, that fucking idiot… I will make you an offer that you can’t refuse in this case. You smug piece of shit…”<br/><br/></em>Once he calmed down however, he turned to his left to make eye contact with his apprentice, who was silently observing him. With a small smile on his face, he started giving the instructions.<br/><br/>“<em>Alright Ramsay work your magic but remember, leave no trace behind.”<br/><br/></em>The young man just nodded and started working with the laptop he had during the ride. Once they got back to the office, everything was prepared and they just observed Oberyn Martell making a fool out of himself for the evening. First it was the poker table and flirting with the woman next to him, then it was losing at the poker table and frustration. Then they went down to the club underground where he got completely wasted and behaved like a complete idiot. This fool was playing into his hands but surely these all wouldn’t be enough. Luckily the set-up was good enough and he had approved the plan. Now all he had to do was to wait and let everything unfold.<br/><br/>The final drinks that Oberyn had with the woman were drugged and they were carried back to the suite. The woman was planted with make-up to look like she had been shot in several places and once the armed forces broke into the suite with sunrise, Robert just observed and enjoyed the whole thing. Oberyn’s panic and denial made him almost pity the bastard but his cue had come and now it was time to play the game. Once they had cuffed Oberyn, he entered the suite slowly but with determination and dismiessed the armed forces immediately. Oberyn looked at him with horror on his face, as he was still trying to understand what was going on. Robert knew he couldn’t break character now so he initiated the dialogue immediately.<br/><br/>“<em>What have you done, what is this mess?”<br/><br/>“I swear I didn’t do anything. Please Robert, you need to tell them that I didn’t do anything.”<br/><br/>“Well that’s no use now but don’t worry, told you the island is ours. We’re getting you out of here.”<br/><br/>“It was you, wasn’t it? What did you do? Why?”<br/><br/>“We didn’t do anything, you did. Oh and by the way, my favorite is the second of the Godfather trilogy.”<br/><br/></em>“<em>You bastard… You set me up.”<br/><br/>“No Oberyn, you set yourself up. You screwed you and you should always keep that in mind.”<br/><br/>“What do you want from me?”<br/><br/>“You know what we want from you but you will wait for instructions once you get back to King’s Landing. Oh and I have to add one more thing.”<br/><br/>“What is it?”<br/><br/>“The Lannisters send their regards.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(6 years later – 2014)<br/><br/><br/></em>This was the third time he had tried to quit.<br/><br/>Beric Dondarrion took pride in what he did, he had always believed in the society and the working class. Despite having forcefully made to bow to will, he had always looked for a way out but sadly he hadn’t been able to. This was the third time in three years that Ramsay had handed him his ass and this shit was getting out of control. They weren’t able to get out of this shit despite getting paid handsomely and some of those thugs who delivered the containers really bugged him off. He was no racist, but the growing numbers of the Dothraki were disturbing as they had no rules, they pillaged and raped, got into fights with workers of the harbor and now that they were gathering beyond Wendwater Bridge and established a community there nearby the Stormlands border. One of them called Drogo, really bothered him and he continously looked for ways to break the fucker in half. <br/><br/>Today was the day that he would be arriving with another shipment from R’hllor knew where and Beric just so hoped that he would give him the opportunity to get in his face to give him a good beating, despite just having butted heads with Ramsay once again. With these thoughts in his mind he lowered container after container, signed off on the necessary sheets, finished his shift and went to grab a cup of mulled wine to relax a little. He saw some of the containers being opened and some people getting out of it. They were divided into groups and sent to the buses waiting for them. Beric knew the drill and pitied the poor bastards as they entered Westeros illegally with hopes of finding work here. He looked for Drogo in there but didn’t see the man so he went back to his drink. Suddenly the doors bursted open and Thoros barged in. <br/><br/>“<em>Beric, it’s him, this fucking Drogo or whatever. You’d told me let you know if I saw him and I saw him.”<br/><br/></em>A small smile formed on his face as he whistled and signaled to the other workers around. He knocked down the drink, stood up and shouted.<br/><br/>“<em>COME ON BOYS. LET’S GO KICK SOME DOTHRAKI FUCKER’S ASS!”<br/><br/></em>With lead pipes in hands, he, Thoros and the workers marched towards where Drogo was. He and two of his men named Qotho and Haggo stood above a little blonde woman, who looked desperate and afraid. Immediately Beric got into his face and the Dothraki turned towards the group of workers. They outnumbered them seven to three and if only a fight would break out, they held the clear advantage. Sensing that, the Dothraki stopped their actions and tried to play it nice but Beric wouldn’t have it. Not today.<br/><br/><em>“What the fuck are you doing again? Again causing trouble?”<br/>“No. We do our own business. You stay out.”<br/><br/></em>As he spoke, Beric saw the man’s hand slip towards his waist, where a gun was strapped. Beric smiled at the gesture and got even closer to the fucker.<br/><br/>“<em>Please do it. I fucking dare you, you son of a bitch. Go on, pull the trigger and you will leave this harbor one limb at a time I promise you.”<br/><br/></em>Drogo’s hand rose back from his waist as he took a few steps back. He grinned at Beric but there was no mockery in his eyes. Clearly not wanting to escalate the situation, they were backing down. Beric was hoping that they weren’t going to be any more trouble from now on. Then his eyes turned towards the woman, whose mouth opened but couldn’t make any sound. He tried to understand what she was trying to say but again no sound came out. Slowly but surely the Dothraki backed away and carried the young woman with them. Realizing that there wouldn’t be any violence, the group of workers slowly disbanded on the way back. Thoros however looked troubled and he could sense it. He didn’t want to offload his anger on his best friend but he knew that he needed to ask so he did.<br/><br/>“<em>What is it Thoros, what do you want to say?”<br/><br/>“That woman Beric… She clearly wanted and needed help.”<br/><br/>“We just got into a fight with Ramsay, we don’t need another one.”<br/><br/>“Oh fuck Ramsay, she needed help Beric. We should go back.”<br/><br/></em>He stopped, briefly considered everything and then turned back and started running. Thoros immediately followed him but when they reached the part of the harbor that the Dothraki were supposed to be, Beric saw a car drifting away to the nearest exit. They were too late.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(A year later – 2015)<br/><br/><br/><br/></em>She had found herself at a children’s playground, swinging unconsciously.<br/><br/>She had absolutely no idea how she had ended up here, here memory was blurry after that big crash and she wasn’t aware that she was staring blank. Suddenly fear took over as her mind started asking questions. Were to go, what to do, how to do it all… She looked at the piece of paper that she took out from her pocket and squeezed it back in. She was cold, afraid and alone. Once the playground started getting more crowded, she got scared and decided to walk away from the place. She walked and walked and walked until she encountered this massive ruin of a palace. It looked like nobody resided in there and she just needed a place to sleep, stay away from all the fears that were ready to take over her. A dog was following here wherever she went and the sadness in the eyes of the dog was heartbraking. She walked towards the ruin as the dog followed but suddenly she stopped, when she saw there was a group of homeless children, who were standing by the fire. Hesitantly she walked towards them as the dog trailed her. The children gave her a weird look at first but then moved aside so that she could get some warmth by the fire herself. She was given bread and water but was barely able to thank them. After getting some food, she just lay down and without understanding how, sleep took over her.<br/><br/>When she woke up, the children were gone, the dog was gone, there was a blanket on top of her and some water was left for her. She couldn’t even smile at the gesture because she ached everywhere. She took one more look at the paper and made sure she memorized it clearly, as if that was the only information that she needed. She had to get to Winterfell somehow, find this Mother Mole and only then she could be a little safe. She then figured out that she had some cash on her and an address to get to. She needed to find a way to get to Winterfell but she didn’t know how or where. She didn’t even know where she had been taken or what this place was but she had to find a way. She walked back towards the park where she had come from, in hopes of finding a place that she could get information from. Finally finding a café which had only two customers sitting inside, she walked in and ordered a sandwich. The waiter was clearly Essosi but she spoke the common tongue without an accent to her surprise. Once the food was brought, she just focused on the food, trying not to pay attention to the two policemen who had come inside to order something to go. The waitress girl noticed her discomfort and shielded her from the sight of the policemen. Once the policemen left, she then quickly took her to the back area, where they were finally alone.<br/><br/>“<em>Are you okay?”<br/><br/>“I’m not, but I will be if I get to Winterfell. Is it far away?”<br/><br/>“It kinda is. This is Summerhall, do you have any idea where we are now?”<br/><br/>“I have no idea, sorry. I’m not Westerosi but I just need to get to Winterfell, it’s my only hope.”<br/><br/>“Fine, we’ll figure out a way. Follow me.”<br/><br/></em>The girl then dragged her outside of the office and told her boss that she would be back within an hour. As they walked for a while in the opposite, she saw that there was a terminal with plenty of buses waiting. Once the waitress girl found a bus that said Winterfell, she just told her to wait and spoke to a man with a device in hand. She was so scared and clueless; she just wanted to get away. She felt the world getting heavier and heavier on her shoulders and just when she thought she would faint, the girl returned with the man, in a cheerful mood.<br/><br/>“<em>Yes, we need a ticket for my friend here for Winterfell.”<br/><br/>“I just need her ID and I can give you the ticket.”<br/><br/></em>She froze and panicked at that moment because she had no ID. She had to make up something and she needed that fast. She blurted out that she had lost her ID but the man didn’t budge. He was going on and on about rules being rules and you needed and ID to travel. The girl finally had enough and extender her ID to the man, who then asked for the money, which she paid with fear in her eyes.  Once it was all done, the girl grabbed the ticket first and then grabbed her to the nearest place that they could sit down. She got some tea for both of them and then handed her the ticket and her ID.<br/><br/>“<em>I cannot possibly…”<br/><br/>“You’ll need to; there is no other way at the moment. Look, I don’t know who you are but clearly you need help and you need it soon. Just take this and here, I have a veil that you can cover your face with. There will be soldiers patrolling the roads until you reach Moat Cailin, that’s the Northern border. Usually the patrollers are from the Most Devout so they won’t require you to open your veil to see your face. If anyone persists, just say that you belong to the Most Devout and you can’t unveil.”<br/><br/>“Thank you so much. One day I’ll pay you back for all your help, I promise.”<br/><br/>“Maybe you will, maybe you won’t but it doesn’t matter now. Here, this is my number and this is my name. Call me once you safely arrive at your destination.”<br/><br/>“Missandei… What a beautiful name…”<br/><br/></em>The girl just smiled at her and held her hand. She then asked her whether she needed to use her phone. She then looked at the number she had on the paper and used the phone. After introducing herself and telling the woman she needed help, she got the necessary confirmation that the woman would be there to pick her up from Winterfell station, as tears flew freely from her eyes. She then gave the phone back to Missandei, hugged her dearly and got into the bus. She tried not to fall asleep and tried to be alarmed the whole time, in case the patrollers would stop the bus. Right past a place called the Twins, the bus was stopped and patrollers swarmed the vehicle. She first pretended to be asleep in hopes of being let go without getting checked but there was a demanding patroller who stood and asked for her ID. She reluctantly handed the man the card but refused to unveil. Just when she thought all hope was lost, there was a sound of gunfire from the outside and the patroller just threw her the ID and left the bus to check out the situation. The bus moved soon after and she knew that she was safe, once she saw the sign reading Moat Cailin. Pretty soon after they arrived at Winterfell station and once she saw the old woman waiting for her, she rushed towards her while sobbing uncontrollably.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/><em>(4 years later – 2018)<br/><br/><br/></em>He fucking hated the harbor business but since Baelish fucked everything up once again, it was up to him to pick up the pieces.<br/><br/>As the workers angrily shouted at Baelish, Jon stood up from his place and told the man to shut the fuck up and go back to his place. The workers respected him enough to pay him attention and listen quietly at least. Once he noticed the head of the union Tycho Nestoris, he also told him to fuck off and leave the workers alone here, which was met by cheers from the workers. Now that he had earned their favor, Jon then started with the terms of the company. Some of the terms were acknowledged with ayes and nods, while a few of them drew some protests and jeers, though they were quickly silenced by one of the workers named Beric. Once everything was said and done, Jon signaled for Beric to follow him outdoors.<br/><br/>“<em>Look Dondarrion, these are the best terms you can get but I’m sure you’re aware of this, right?”<br/><br/>“We know Mr. Snow, just wanted to get the measure of you anyway. You’re a good man.”<br/><br/>“Oh fuck you, I don’t need praises here. The deal is signed and we’re locked in for another four years, understood?”<br/><br/>“Understood Mr. Snow, though I’m sensing something else is on the way.”</em> <br/><br/>“<em>That’s right. Some of the workers had lobbied for relatives to be hired but I won’t have it. Ones who are qualified will be investigated by HR but don’t expect any favors from me on that department. Also that dork who is sniveling by the union guy, he won’t be getting a new contract but I guess you’re fine with that, right?”<br/><br/>“All fine with that Mr. Snow.”<br/><br/>“Good, have a nice day then. I’ll see you around.”<br/><br/></em>With the deal sealed, he then drove back to the plaza to report to Mr. Martell. A lot had changed since the first time he had been in this harbor, on the day it was acquired by Martell Investments. He was sent to Braavos, signed to a six-figure, multi-year contract at Martell Investments after his return and was soon given the green light to establish his own team. His first choice was definitely Margaery and she had recommended taking Sam Tarly as an analyst, both because he worked the numbers very well and asked little to no question about work. Years and years of good work had meant that his earnings and savings had quadrupled and within a short amount of time, his wealth and power had ensured a safe future for him. Despite his winnings, his boss had lost a lot during that time but all that was personal and none of his business.  <br/><br/>Two months after his return to Westeros and the company, Ellaria Sand had filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Surely Oberyn had won the case, the settlements but Ellaria’s switch to Lannister Corporation had tipped the scales in their favor. Of course she wasn’t able to be a whistleblower of sorts, since she had signed a confidentiality agreement before leaving, but then again she knew how the company operated and that had helped Tywin Lannister anticipate some of the investments and use his wealth and influence to stay a step ahead of Oberyn at all times.<br/><br/>Oberyn had turned this all into a personal vendetta and soon had started losing shares on the market, while trying to rebuild credibility. Another deal with one of the Myrish companies had fallen through and it was either selling possessions time or looking for mergers. Naturally merging with Lannister Corporation would keep them alive and in the comfort zone but that was something that he wouldn’t be able to convince his boss about. He could always ask his collegre roommate Gendry about further projections without breaking confidentiality but for that he’d still need Oberyn’s approval anyway.<br/><br/>Despite having all these thoughts in his mind, with a confident smile on his face he waltzed through the security, dropped off some of his stuff to the office, got the necessary reports from Marge and Sam and then moved to the top floor to present the documents to Oberyn. Just as he was about to enter, Ari exited the office with burning eyes, clearly unhappy about something Oberyn said. With no expression on his face, Oberyn welcomed him into the office and closed the door. After taking a seat and running through the documents, Oberyn handed him a folder and observed him as he ran through the files one by one. With each file, Jon was sure that he was getting paler and paler but he wouldn’t be able to prove that. Finally having enough, he just threw the folder onto the mid-table and just snarled.<br/><br/>“<em>What kind of an idiot signs such contracts? Oh that was a rhetorical question, don’t answer and let me answer instead. Not men like you who know their shit. Seriously what in the hell is this?“<br/></em><br/>“<em>Stop complaining like an idiot, you were preparing for your entrance exams when I signed that contract and I had the Iron Bank’s backing at the time. I still do and we can reverse this.”<br/><br/>“Not unless you sell some property or merge with someone else. I suggest letting go of the harbors. It could help us for at least two years until we reverse the situation.”<br/><br/>“No, not the harbors, I actually intend to grow with the harbor trade.”<br/><br/>“Then you need to merge with Lannister.”<br/><br/>“You know I won’t do that.”<br/><br/>“Look, maybe the loan you got and the contract you signed back then wasn’t so stupid but that was sixteen years ago. Things have changed, the world has changed now and you are in a much weaker position that you used to be. I will do your bidding but you will listen to me. With Ellaria providing insight and helping them anticipate with trades and investments, you have no choice but to merge. Let me at least find the most profitable way for you.”<br/><br/>“Fine, but once you complete all those negotiations, you will make the move I want from you.”<br/><br/>“What is that?”<br/><br/>“There is a guy named Mance Rayder, who owns the majority of the ports in White Harbor. He is our key to the Northern trade. You know how lively the trade has become after the Wall has been destroyed. This is our chance to establish ourselves within the unknown.”<br/><br/>“Fine, theoretically it’s a great idea but first we need to save the company to do that. I will handle the negotiatons but in the meantime you will lay low and keep a low profile for me to work things through. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.”<br/><br/></em>***<br/><br/><br/>(Present Day)<br/><br/><br/>This place had changed him for the worse and he had to get out of it.<br/><br/>Throughout the whole ride back to the mansion, memories flashed in front of his eyes as both he, Dany and Ashara were in total silence after what had taken place at the restaurant. All these memories he had gone through were putting the pieces together but he just didn’t know where Dany fit in. He still had that to figure out he got back to King’s Landing and he needed to do it soon.  The opening of the gates brought him back to life and he gave a weak smile to Dany, who was holding on to Ashara dearly. Once the car was parked and they got out, Dany immediately headed towards inside but he wasn’t going to have it. Some issues needed to be addressed at that very moment and he had to take action.<br/><br/>“<em>Dany, a word?”<br/><br/>“I’m really tired, can it wait until tomorrow?”<br/><br/>“I’d rather handle this now.”<br/><br/>“Fine, let me put Ashara to bed and I’ll be right back.”<br/><br/></em>He just sat down at the patio and lit a cigarette, observing Dany’s window as lights came on and then went off. He felt like she had slowly taken over his world and he was struggling with it. Maybe this was what had happened to his father as well, only in a different way. He needed to understand what was what so that he could leave this all behind and finally go home because this wasn’t his home. This was a place that drove him crazy and the signs were showing. While getting lost in thought, he heard Dany’s footsteps as she finally approached the patio and took a seat across from him. She was clearly disturbed by the fact that he wanted to talk but it didn’t matter now. All he had to do was talk, ask the right questions and get the right answers. He cleared his throat and got right into it.<br/><br/>“<em>So I’ll need to get back to King’s Landing after a few days. I have some stuff I need to deal with at work and I cannot conduct them from here.”<br/><br/>“Oh okay, so this couldn’t wait until tomorrow. If this is all, I’d like to go to sleep now.”<br/><br/>“No wait, that’s not all. What happened tonight was way too weird and I’m still trying to gather my thoughts.”<br/><br/>“Maybe you should sleep on them.”<br/><br/>“Alright I get it, you want to go to sleep, so do I but there are a few things I need to get off from my chest and I need you to listen.”<br/><br/>“Am I your therapist now?”<br/><br/>“Damn woman, why are you making this so hard? Look I’m worried okay. I’m worried about you, I don’t know why, I met you only recently but you occupy my thoughts and it’s difficult to think when you’re around.”<br/><br/>“Then go back to King’s Landing.”<br/><br/>“So that’s it, you want me gone?”<br/><br/>“I’m sure I can deal with your absence.”<br/><br/>“Look… Listen, I’ve come to care about you okay? My father didn’t leave my anything on paper. The restaurant is yours; the mansion is my aunt’s and Ashara’s after her, all those other things that he owned are left to the people who use it, you’ll learn soon enough.”<br/><br/>“How do you know all of these?”<br/><br/>“It’s my job to know, I’m the legal heir to everything and besides I’m pretty sure everything is left untouched from his original will, apart from the restaurant.”<br/><br/>“So it’s about the restaurant and you thought midnight is a good time to discuss about this.”<br/><br/>“No, you’re missing the point. My father left me nothing on paper but he left me you and Ashara and I both feel complied to and want to take care of you both, whenever you need me.”<br/><br/></em>There was a silence and for the first time there was warmth in her eyes when he looked at him. She paused for a moment, smiled briefly and started to talk.<br/><br/>“<em>You know what; I thought you were full of shit from the moment you arrived here. I was complied to hate you, despise you for what you are without even getting to know you. Your name was forbidden, your memories were forgotten and it was like you didn’t exist. But then you came and everything became complicated… More complicated than usual if you know what I mean and I’m not talking about all that paperwork.”<br/><br/>“Then what are you talking about?”<br/><br/>“What I mean is that your presence is overwhelming. The more you are around, I’m feeling more inclined to like you and trust you, but earning my trust is a very, very difficult thing.”<br/><br/>“I didn’t hear what you said after liking and trusting me.”<br/><br/>“Oh stop it, you know damn well what I meant.”<br/><br/>“I know and I feel the same.”<br/><br/>“So that means you can’t leave. Not just yet at least.”<br/><br/>“Why is that? I will eventually need to get back to work.”</em><br/><br/>“<em>What if I said that I needed you to stay?”</em>  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know, the cliffhanger was really evil... but it was totally necessary! :)</p>
<p>With majority of the backstories now complete (there is still Ramsay and Dany waiting to be fully uncovered) the story will move on at full speed. Next chapter is going to be action packed but we'll get our fair share of fluff as well. </p>
<p>There might be some who might complain about lack of smut since the beginning and it's understandable. Still, once we reach that part, I can assure you it'll be satisfying enough.</p>
<p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Trust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In Winterfell, Jon and Dany try and learn to trust each other, Mormont keeps digging and things finally start falling into a steady rhythm with The Moat.</p><p>In King's Landing, Arianne finds out about her father's disease, Ramsay creates havoc and Beric looks for payback.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again!</p><p>This time I'm back within two weeks. It's been a really busy and full two weeks and it looks like this will be the case from now on, at least until the end of May. I will do my best to update every two weeks throughout that time and if possible, back to a chapter per week once my schedule gets a little lighter.</p><p>This is again not double-checked as I wanted to publish it as fast as possible. Mistakes are on me, so please point them out if you see any!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>What if I said I needed you to stay?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There was a weird but intriguing silence after that.  It was late and Jon was having difficulties with gathering his thoughts but still, he actually needed to find an answer to this question and he had to do it soon. He chuckled and gave her a questioning look before speaking but as the silence kept on growing, he knew he had to speak up eventually.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Excuse me, you need me to stay?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, I need you to stay. This isn’t a matter of want, but rather a matter of need. You are a natural at the things here and you make me look like an outsider, which is actually right. Plus what happened to ‘I’ll make sure you are okay with everything here before leaving’ speech of yours?”<br/>
<br/>
“What?”<br/>
<br/>
“Do you seriously think that I’d be okay after what had taken place? Of course I’m afraid and troubled.”<br/>
<br/>
“And you didn’t bother to thank me for diffusing the bomb but instead you made me sweat here.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re the one who wanted to talk; I was ready to go to sleep.”<br/>
<br/>
“I see… So is this how it’s going to be from now on?”<br/>
<br/>
“Like how?”<br/>
<br/>
“Like I will do my best to honestly speak about my thoughts and feelings, while you sarcastically ram stuff into my face with a smile.”<br/>
<br/>
“Something like that.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well since you actually don’t want me here, maybe I should go.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He had tried to be civil, he was as open as he was able to and yet the woman had mocked him for what he was. It was again the same things over and over. Whenever he showed compassion and feelings, people wanted to take advantage of it. She wasn’t any different like he had thought; she was exactly the same as others. She just needed to use his skills until everything was comfortable and wouldn’t mind if she didn’t see him ever again. That was the tipping point and he was so fucking done with this place. He pushed the chair back without saying a word and harshly put it back to its place. She was just sitting there and smiling comfortably towards him but he wasn’t going to lose it. Quietly he turned around and started heading indoors but was interrupted by her voice.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Wait, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I’m sorry if I sounded rude.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>You did but its okay. I’m used to being treated like shit despite showing kindness.”<br/>
<br/>
“Jon please, I’m sorry. I know you’re being nice and you’re not forcing it.”</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>“Then what is your problem?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m confused okay? People just don’t pass by my life. If they can enter, then they stay. That’s maybe why I’m reacting harshly to all this. As I said, I’m inclined to trust you, but I need to get to know you better and I mean the real you, not what I’ve heard from this and that.”<br/>
<br/>
“In conclusion?”<br/>
<br/>
“In conclusion I both want you and need you to stay for a while more please.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll see what I can do. I won’t make empty promises and disappoint you later.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good, I’m glad you treat me like this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Treat you like what?”<br/>
<br/>
“You respect my decisions. I can feel that you respect me as a person as well.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why wouldn’t I respect you?”<br/>
<br/>
“That has nothing to do with you. You’re not trying to boss me around, that’s what I’m really trying to say.”<br/>
<br/>
“Again, why would I do that? Aren’t you your own person?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There was no answer to that and the silence was rather tense for his liking. Clearly he had struck a nerve inadvertantly and having recognized it, he felt compelled to fix it right away.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Oh I see… This really has nothing to do with me. You’ve been bossed around since your childhood.”<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t say that.”<br/>
<br/>
“And you won’t need to. It takes one to really experience to know the reason.”<br/>
<br/>
“You might have a point.”<br/>
<br/>
“Anyway, I’ll think of what you said and how you treated me and then I’ll make a decision.”<br/>
<br/>
“For what it’s worth, I was honest with you.”<br/>
<br/>
“I know and I’ll keep that in mind.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He just then sat down and decided to stay for another cigarette. Sensing the tension, Dany didn’t insist on staying but gave him a questioning look. He paid that no mind as he was really tired of trying to communicate with someone who could easily betray his trust. He felt all the harsh memories of abandonment taking over but kept his composure as he was finally brought back to the world by Dany’s voice.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Are you even listening?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m sorry, what?”<br/>
<br/>
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I thought it would be appropriate to wait for my friends.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright, I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”<br/>
<br/>
“Okay then, thanks. Good night.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He was alone maybe for five minutes as the mini-van carrying Marge, Sam and Lyanna entered the mansion grounds. Sam looked worn out, while Marge was a little tipsy. Lyanna however, looked different than her usual-self. They all settled by the table, as Rodrik waited right outside the patio to be dismissed officially. Jon smiled and nodded to the old man as he left and then he turned to his team.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>This place is changing me for the worst. I want to get back to King’s Landing as soon as possible.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The trio froze at that statement and blinked to each other, as if they were questioning the situation. Marge and Sam were speechless but Lyanna was very much aware of his distress and she was the first one to react verbally.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You feed off from chaos, I get it but you still have stuff to attend to, right? I believe you are visiting Mance Rayder on Monday.”<br/>
<br/>
“True, there’s that. Still, I want to get back as soon as possible.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Marge was the one to respond, as all sorts of arrangements went through her anyway.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>That would mean that Tuesday is your earliest.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, handle the arrangements. You guys need to be back at work on Monday so leave whenever is convenient for you.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Marge just nodded but Lyanna didn’t seem necessarily happy about his decision and spoke her mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’d like to return with you if it’s okay. I’d like to have one more day off from the struggles of King’s Landing.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, do as you wish. I’m going to bed.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that he stood up and headed towards his room. The others followed him inside and just when he was passing by Dany’s room, the door opened and she pulled Lyanna inside, slamming the door shut on his face when he just looked that way. He just huffed and continued to his room, for he really needed sleep.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What the fuck Beric, what should we do now?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The words kept ringing in his head as he stared at the container. There was continous muttering in Ibbenese coming from the container and he was able to figure out that it was mainly woman and children inside. It didn’t take him long to figure out that these were to be sold as sex slaves for the filthy rich motherfuckers that had the fat fucker’s protection. He felt a sharp pain in his head as anger started building up within him and all he wanted to do was burn everything down. Unfortunately he and his people needed to be smart after the beating he and Thoros received so he figured that he needed to devise a plan. He knew that the people in the container needed to be secured first so he turned his attention back to the container and spoke loudly, asking if anyone spoke the common tongue. One of the rather older women, who was thirty at most, stepped forward and nodded her head. Beric looked at the woman sadly and started speaking slowly.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Wait in silence and act normal. We’ll set you free.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>The women then spread out in the container to keep their regular positions. They would be there for at least an hour more before the people of the organization would come to pick and relocate them. This was now or never but they were going to need a solid team and a solid plan. He looked at the bunch of workers observing the situation and then started explaining the plan he had in his mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>This will be a raid and we’ll set the prisoners free. Once they come to open the doors, we pull the truck and block the way, create a distraction and knock the fuckers out. Usually there are only two of them but in case there are three, we need at least five people here, one to pull the truck and one to create the distraction with firecrackers. Me, Anguy and a volunteer will then take out the trash and set the women free. Once everyone is tied up, we alert the police and send these people where they came back from. If you don’t want to partake, I understand but keep your mouth shut.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Nobody backed down to his satisfaction but then again there was this idiot Rast, whom he didn’t like all that much. Beric knew that the bastard was in this for the money but decided that he could live with it. They all took their positions and waited for the assholes to arrive and start the relocating. Once Beric saw four guys approaching the container, he gave the signal and the truck suddenly started and the firecrackers caused the distraction. Within seconds, they had disarmed them and he just put one to the ground and started beating the hell out of him. He wanted to take the years of building frustration within himself but finally Anguy put a hand on his shoulder and he stopped. They quickly tied up the fuckers and opened the container once again. Seeing that it was him, the lady who spoke the common tongue stepped forward and awaited instructions. Beric eyed the lady and decided to learn a little bit more of the backstory.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“What is it that you want? Are you here to find work, residence or something else?”<br/>
<br/>
“No mister, all these people inside here, we were all abducted. Mostly from Ibben but generally from all around Essos.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you want to do? We have your passports now that these fuckers are dealt with. Do you want to stay, or do you want to go home?”<br/>
<br/>
“Everyone here wants to go home mister. We didn’t choose to be here.”<br/>
<br/>
“Very well then, here are the passports. Make sure that everyone gets their papers. We’ll alert the police and they will come handle the business. I wish you all the best of luck.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>They quickly grabbed money and valuables from the containers, left piles of cash for each person so that they could use the money if in need and finally alerted the police of an incident at the harbor. When they were taking off, Beric could hear the police sirens overtaking the silence of the night and a small smile appeared on his face while doing so. They then divided the cash and valuables amongst themselves and decided to grab a bite. He was still troubled by that asshole Rast being with them. He was acting like he had just won the lottery and that was already disturbing enough. Once they sat down and started eating, Rast’s behavior started getting on his nerves more and more with each gesture striking a nerve. He finally stood up and went to the owner, telling him to keep the doors closed. Rast was still slurping while eating; loudly gloating about what a hit this has been and so on. Seeing only red, Beric approached him from behind and bashed the fucker’s head to the table and then bashed it once more. Anguy then took the cash Rast had stacked under his sweater and they went outside for a smoke. Beric gave some of the cash to the owner and told him that was for his troubles. Just when they were about to head inside, police cars were heard once more and they had to act like everything was normal. When the police was gone and they went back inside, Rast was nowhere to be found.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
This was all too much.<br/>
<br/>
Everything was happening all at once and Dany felt completely nervebroken. She had tried real hard to keep it together after the incident at the restaurant but she was now falling apart completely. Just when she had thought everything to be under control, this time Jon had started talking about his departure and that had caused her to act completely irrationally under stress. She was already torn apart after Ned’s death as fear had taken over her completely. She was afraid that she would be discovered, afraid that they would take Ashara from her, afraid that she would never find Rhaenys and lose everything in her life. Her nightmare which she had repeatedly suffered from was now turning into reality and she knew she could only try and run from it. Trying to clear her mind, she looked at Ashara, who was sound asleep. Her daughter was the only thing she could hold on to and she was going to do that. It was stupid to trust Jon, she had thought that he would protect her from the monsters but now he was leaving too. She knew that some part of it had something to do with her own behavior as well but she couldn’t change herself, even though she had tried.<br/>
<br/>
She turned on the computer and started looking for houses, little apartments in the settlements beyond The Wall. The Wall was supposedly a magical entity back in the ancient times but she knew that nothing compared to her homeland of Valyria. Valyria was a ruin when she had left it but she was always told that it was one of the most glorious lands in the known world. Some part of her always wanted to go back to Valyria some day, but today wasn’t that day. She kept on scrolling, checked a few little houses in Hardhome, which looked like one of the biggest settlements around. Then again after seeing the harbor there, she quit and looked for more inland stuff. There were new houses being built in a place called Fist of the First Men. The name was stupid when she thought of it, but the reviews showed that it was probably the most secure area around with new schools and establishments. That looked like a good runaway option for her and for a moment she felt satisfied. Just when she clicked on the first good looking house she found, she heard people climbing the stairs. She opened her door and saw Jon go by first, who looked at her weirdly. Once she noticed Lyanna Mormont was there too, she pulled her in and closed the door.<br/>
<br/>
Lyanna looked rattled at first but then she started looking at the walls, which were covered with her drawings. The younger woman’s expression changed for the better and finally she turned towards her. Dany was still upset about everything but she had a little gift for Lyanna and she wanted to give it now, before they left. She had liked the younger woman, who clearly had social issues and probably a crush on her boss but that wasn’t her business whatsoever. She pulled the drawing she had for her from under the pile and extended it to her. Lyanna’s eyes grew in awe as she then pulled her sleeve and took a look at her own tattoo. What she had drawn was a continuation of the piece and Lyanna couldn’t contain her excitement as she hugged her. Dany appreciated the gesture as she hugged her back and started explaining.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I did a little research this morning. I had seen your tattoo and tried to figure out what was the whole piece. When I found out this was a traditional piece from Ulos, I had to complete it for you.”<br/>
<br/>
“But how did you… I mean, I don’t get it?”<br/>
<br/>
“How did I memorize it? I have an eidetic memory, that’s how. Once I see things, I can never unsee them. It is painful sometimes, but comes in handy when I’m drawing things.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s just wonderful, thank you so much.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>After that, she had found herself again in a bearhug and though Lyanna was small, she was surely very strong for her size. However her grasp softened and she broke the hug and distanced herself slowly. Dany then noticed the computer screen was open and Lyanna had seen what she was looking for. She was caught and now everyone was going to know all about this. She knew she had to say something and it was better if she took initiative now.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well… There’s no point in denying that. Yes I’m looking for a place elsewhere. I want to get out of this city.”<br/>
<br/>
“But why, I mean, aren’t you comfortable here? You have a home, a job, a daughter to raise.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s not just that.”<br/>
<br/>
“Then what is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s your boss… Jon’s presence here is unsettling.”<br/>
<br/>
“Boss is fine, he actually li…”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh I don’t know, maybe I’m imagining things but it feels like my problems doubled since he arrived and I feel crushed under the stress.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well okay, I’m not going to ask you what your problems are but if there is something about Jon or there is something you need from him, you should talk to him directly.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you mean?” </em><br/>
<br/>
“<em>I mean Jon is very open to communication. You can go to him with anything. We all do to be honest in the office and it’s not always work related. He takes care of us with whatever necessary. Money, protection, company, you name it…”<br/>
<br/>
“I see… Do you think he would like to help me?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t see why not. As I was trying to say before, I think he li…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Before the young woman could finish her sentence, the sound of an argument had started coming from downstairs. It was Jon and her aunt talking a little louder than usual but at least Jon wasn’t sounding heated.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Well firstly I have a job that I need to attend to. I can’t control everything from here.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh okay then, you leave too. Your father also left us so why bother staying. What about those horses and stables you and Dany mentioned before?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh true, there was that. Well the architect is supposed to come and show me the renders tomorrow or the day after.”<br/>
<br/>
“But afterwards you’ll leave for sure.”<br/>
<br/>
“Look Aunt Lyanna, I have a life there and it’s a life I like. This life and that life, they will intersect somehow but I will never move to this mansion, okay?”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine. What about Dany and Ashara?”<br/>
<br/>
“What about them?”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s what I’m asking. Aren’t you going to stay and help Dany through this transitional period?”<br/>
<br/>
“Look I don’t understand her okay? First she wants me gone and then she says I should stay and I don’t understand that kind of behavior. Unless she makes up her mind, I’m leaving.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Mormont just smiled at her once the dialogue ended and she felt the horror within her rising again. She needed Jon to stay and she really needed to get her shit together. Her insides were trembling with fear and she just froze after the final sentence. She barely heard Mormont’s words getting clearer as she slowly gathered herself.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>...like I said, you just need to talk to him.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that she left for her room, leaving Dany to her thoughts. She then entered a staring contest with the ceiling and was barely able to sleep. The fear of that damn nightmare kept her from sleeping as her thoughts kept bringing her back to Jon. Would he really be able to help her with everything? Was he as reliable as Ned was back in his day? These questions needed answering and she just wasn’t prepared enough in her mind to face Jon with these. There were so many things that needed to be brought to sunlight, so many things that she had been keeping in the dark for years now. Her thoughts again went back to Jon and she started questioning his abilities. Even if Jon was reliable, would he be interested in her, interested in protecting her, or even loving her? She couldn’t deny the attraction she felt towards him but he surely seemed to be a guy, who had supressed lots of broken feelings deep down, just like her. She decided that she needed to test his will with something simple but meaningful. If his attitude was positive, then she could slowly start trying to open up to him with her story.<br/>
<br/>
With first light, she left the bed and headed immediately outdoors. The cold breeze awakened her fully as she noticed Wolkan was back from his village and was tending to the flocks. She smiled and waved at him as he kept on tending to the sheep. Then she heard the coffee machine start from the inside and noticed that Jon was up too. He had a simple t-shirt and shorts on, which completely showed his body in detail. When he noticed her staring, he just smiled and pointed at the coffee machine, to which she nodded. He brought the first serving to her and then went back inside to grab himself one as well. She had started shivering with cold while he looked extremely comfortable with how cold the weather was. Not being content with how things are, he went back inside and brought her a blanket. They hadn’t uttered a single word but somehow the silence was very comfortable. Ashara then walked down the stairs and told her that she couldn’t sleep but Jon was quick to grab another blanket and wrap it around her. Her daughter snuggled against him as they silently but happily watched the sunrise, together.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
On his way back to King’s Landing, he received an angry phone call from Robert.<br/>
<br/>
Ramsay fucking hated to be shouted at but put the old man to speaker as he kept on driving. The old man kept on ranting about another container issue, this time with the police getting involved. Ramsay said nothing, but just let the old man go at it. Once he was done, the line was disconnected and he hit the gas even harder. He arrived in King’s Landing way earlier than he was supposed to and he immediately rushed to the hospital, where this fucking Thoros was taken to. Once he was there, it was easy for him to sneak inside his room and all so quietly he woke the man up. The horror immediately reached the Myrish man’s eyes but he didn’t utter a single word. Ramsay looked at him and smiled, but said nothing in the beginning. Making sure that there was nobody around and nothing could be heard, he kneeled by the bed and ruffled the man’s hair. After one more stern look at the man, he started talking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>It’s brave Thoros, I give it to you. Stupid but brave, but then again that’s how you people are, aren’t you? You don’t think about the consequences before taking action.”<br/>
<br/>
“Please don’t… I have a family…”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s what I’m saying, you have a family. You wouldn’t want me to terrorize your little precious family, would you now?”<br/>
<br/>
“No please… I’ll do as you say.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh you will I’m sure… Besides there isn’t much for you to do anyway, since you know, dead people can’t do much… Don’t worry though; I’ll make sure your family will be taken care of once you’re gone.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He faced no resistance as he slid the knife silently and slowly into the man’s side. Thoros made no sound as the knife went in, twisted and went out and within a matter of seconds, he was gone. Ramsay knew that this was going to stir the pot violently and as he thrived in chaos, he enjoyed every second of it.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
Something didn’t feel right but she couldn’t tell what was wrong.<br/>
<br/>
The journey back from Winterfell was always tiring and Ari was glad to be back home. Although she now had to face the music, it was still okay. She was so damn troubled by facing Mance Rayder and his brutes but the whole trip had ended up being disastrous. First she had used Ramsay, only to be used by him in return. Then because of her father’s unreasonable schemes, she had fallen out with Jon. Ramsay had solidified his place next to her father, while Jon had grown ever more distant from him. Then there was this woman at the restaurant and she was so stuck with her. She was very beautiful and clearly there was chemistry between Jon and her. She hadn’t looked that much Westerosi to her eyes but it was very difficult to tell who was who since the wall had fallen and immiagrants had flown from beyond the Five Forts, especially the ones who crossed the Grey Waste had blended in with the Wildlings rather fast. The woman could have easily been one of those but it didn’t matter where she was from, after seeing how Jon looked at her. She had always yearned for him to look at her like that but he never had. With this sadness taking over, she made her way in from the main gate and parked her car, only to find nobody around.<br/>
<br/>
She looked around once more and after making sure that she was the only one around, she rang the bell but nobody answered. She rang once more but there was still no answer. Huffing to herself, she slowly started walking down towards the main gate to call for the security, only to be interrupted by one of the night staff, who was walking one of the dogs. After questioning the man if nobody was home and learning that her father was actually home, she started heading back towards the door, while the man made a call to let the maids know that she had arrived. This time the door was opened before she arrived and immediately the maids tended to her stuff. Ari didn’t bother asking them anything until she heard her father shouting loudly from upstairs. She immediately rushed upstairs to find him mumbling nonsense and throwing things. She tried to reason with him to no avail but suddenly her father stopped and just stared blank towards nothing. Figuring out that this was her chance, she immediately helped him to her bedroom, tucked him in, turned off the lights and closed the door.<br/>
<br/>
When she looked at the resting area outside of the bedrooms, she found many things on the floor, even her gift to her father from a few years ago, the one vase he valued, the one thing she had bought for him after returning to Westeros. Her heart broke at the sight as she tried to pick up the pieces from the ground, only to be stopped by the maids, who immediately rushed to her help to wipe the place clean. Ari instructed them to keep the pieces of the vase in a separate place with the intention of trying to have it fixed. She then turned to the senior house-maid and asked her to follow her to a rather more private place. She was about to burst but she needed to be in control, so as calmly as possible, she started asking the questions that invaded her mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What in the hell is going on? What did I just witness?”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm Ms. Martell, we’ve been meaning to tell you…”<br/>
<br/>
“You’ve been meaning to tell me what?”<br/>
<br/>
“This isn’t the first time such thing happened. A similar event occurred a couple of weeks ago, when you were in Winterfell.”<br/>
<br/>
“This happened a few weeks ago already and you only tell me now?”<br/>
<br/>
“There is something else though…”<br/>
<br/>
“Well what is it, can it be any worse than what I just witnessed?”<br/>
<br/>
“One of the maids saw him pissing into his cabinet a few days ago.”<br/>
<br/>
“WHAT?”<br/>
<br/>
“Exactly as I said Ms. Martell, I’m sorry. I know for one that it isn’t hearsay because I cleaned it myself.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, I’ll make sure that he sees the doctor at the earliest convenience. He still has a few hours before he wakes up for work so I’ll also rest during the time.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that she left, but sleep didn’t come to her that night as thoughts overwhelmed her. Fear of losing her father to madness took over her as she cried silently. She wanted Jon to be here so much but he was far away, probably having his own sorrows taken care of by that beautiful woman she had met. Anger rose within her as her blood started to boil, but she stayed in control, took a pill and finally passed out from exhaustion for maybe an hour. When she woke up, she immediately hit the shower, dressed herself for work and rushed downstairs to ask about her father. Once the answer came that he was having breakfast in the gardens, she headed there, trying to look as casual as possible. After seeing her, Oberyn rose from his chair and gave her a big hug and urged her to take a seat. He put his newspaper away, took a sip from his coffee and then finally turned his full attention to her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So why didn’t Mance sign the contract?”<br/>
<br/>
“The man is a brute father, an insanely old-school brute. He spoke some nonsense about giving his word to Jon and only Jon. He either makes the deal with Jon or there is no deal. That was what he said.”<br/>
<br/>
“And when is Jon returning?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t really know father, it seemed like he was trying to organize things there.”<br/>
<br/>
“WHY ISN’T HE RETURNING?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that rage, Oberyn had flipped the coffee table, broke his coffee cup and spilt coffee all over his suit. He was going through what looked like an epileptic seizure but Ari was no doctor to diagnose anything. Suddenly again he was calm and when he regained consciousness, he immediately cursed at the scene and made his way indoors, while shouting that where the fuck Jon had been all this time. All she could do was to stare blank after her father as she tried to figure out what was happening. Suddenly her phone started ringing and after seeing that it was the head of the HR, she reluctantly answered.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Quickly now, I’m in a hurry.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes ma’am. I’m calling to inform that one of the harbor workers died last night.”<br/>
<br/>
“What? Why? What happened?”<br/>
<br/>
“He was found dead at the hospital ma’am.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm okay, is Mr. Baelish aware of the situation?”<br/>
<br/>
“I was just on the phone with him ma’am. He’s heading to the hospital as we speak.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright good, I’ll let my father know.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She felt immense pain inside as she tried to keep her cool but suddenly everything was too much. Still, as her father had taught her over the years, Ari kept a straight face as she stood up from the table and slowly but surely, walked indoors to grab her coat and get the fuck out of this house, only to deal with more trouble at work.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
This was turning out to be a fine morning.<br/>
<br/>
They had stayed together in silence until Ashara finally woke up for good and Jon felt compelled to prepare the little girl some breakfast. While it was quiet in the beginning, people started coming downstairs. First it was his aunt and then Sam, who complimented the smell and immediately headed outside for fresh air. Next up however was Marge, who was walking down the stairs and staring at her phone with a stern expression on her face. He just bid her good morning and flipped the final pancake but then Marge called his name.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>There is something you should see.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm okay, show me.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>When he read the e-mail, he couldn’t believe his eyes. This harbor shit wasn’t ending and now a worker had died. He questioned in his mind that whether this was related to the earlier things or if this was someone he had been in close contact with. He had feared about Beric being dead but luckily this wasn’t him. Marge asked whether he wanted the contact details of the family and so on, to which he nodded. However once he saw the picture of the worker, it hit him. It was that Thoros, who was best friends with Beric. His face must had shown his disappointment as Marge asked whether he knew the man and he just mumbled that he remembered him from the last contract meeting and headed towards the kitchen. Mormont followed shortly after as he saw Marge showing her the e-mail as well. What he didn’t notice was Dany’s eyes being on him the whole time and when their eyes met, he could sense that her eyes held some sympathy for him, despite not knowing anything about what had happened.<br/>
<br/>
Luckily during breakfast nothing work related was discussed, although Dany had asked what had soured the mood, Marge was quick enough to respond that it was work related. He had caught her looking at him every now and then and that had puzzled him even more. This whole thing puzzled him to his core and it was really becoming difficult to deal with, for he wasn’t very good when it came to expressing emotion. He wanted to take action on this whole thing, clear his head, clarify whatever feelings he held inside but there was just no time for all that. He knew he needed to call Beric and then go to see Mance. Despite being away from the corporate troubles of King’s Landing, his life had turned out to be more action packed somehow. Managing and directing money was easy, but doing that with people who never listened to reason and were annoyingly stubborn was something completely different. Pushing all the thoughts away, he reluctantly took out his phone and dialed Beric’s number. It didn’t take long for him to answer but he was just silently waiting for him. Jon took the initiative and tried to comfort the man.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I just found out, I’m so sorry for your loss Beric.”<br/>
<br/>
“This happened because of me.”<br/>
<br/>
“What now?”<br/>
<br/>
“He was murdered at the hospital Mr. Snow. That fucker Ramsay rubbed it into my face.”<br/>
<br/>
“That shithead… Did you do something that I didn’t know of?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, we let a bunch of people who were locked in a container go free.”<br/>
<br/>
“You did WHAT?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Then Beric casually filled him in on how they set the women and children free and let the police take care of the situation afterwards. Jon’s chest swelled with pride but at the same time he knew that this was stupid, no matter how heroic the act was. Beric then continued that Thoros being murdered was retaliation to this and added he also was called into questioning by the police as a standard procedure. He felt anger rising in him once again but didn’t want to lash out at the man who had just lost a loved one. Trying his best to keep calm, he once again extended his condolences, warned him to stay away from Ramsay and reminded him that he would be back soon enough. Mormont was approaching him at a steady pace with an angry expression on her face. Once she was close enough, she pushed him and attempted a slap but Jon wasn’t going to have any of it. She was fuming with anger and he knew the reason why.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>A man was murdered and this is on you.”<br/>
<br/>
“This isn’t on me; you have no idea what those idiots did before?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>His phone chimed with an incoming message from Beric. It was a video of their rescue mission and Mormont watched it with horror on her face. Once it stopped, Jon casually put his phone back and stared at her for a brief time. He needed to gather his thoughts rather clearly this time because what he was going to say was going to be very important for the future.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So you put that on me, is that it? Let me answer before you do, I figured you wouldn’t. They stepped out of line the first time they gang-assaulted that fucker and now this one. A mad dog like Ramsay was always going to strike back and they didn’t play this smart.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why are you explaining these to me now?”<br/>
<br/>
“Because you disobeyed direct orders and made yourself visible, reachable to Ramsay. I told you to keep a low profile but you had to show him that you were better. What the fuck was that, do you have a crush on the man?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, he disgusts me…”<br/>
<br/>
“THEN WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT? You will take a step back, lay low and NEVER butt heads with that fucker, do you understand me?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll do as you say, but this is like a virus, it’s taking over everything, all of us.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>A very happy Ashara started rushing towards them at that moment and with her eyes, Lyanna pointed out to the little girl and added one more thing.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>It’ll take over her too.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Without saying anything, Jon turned to Ashara who kept on shouting and running towards him with a bright smile on her face. Once she reached him, he immediately picked her up and hugged the little girl. She was so excited about the new TV arriving that she had wanted to share the moment with him. The little girl dragged him back into the house as Mormont stayed behind to check out a few things on her phone. The purest form of innocence and excitement radiating from Ashara always brought joy to him as the little girl blabbed non-stop about how important this gift was for her and so on. They walked back in together as he instructed Marge to program the TV and install all sorts of necessary apps. Meanwhile Sam showed him the latest projections and he took care of the daily stock reports. Once all was said and done, he pulled Marge aside and had a private talk with her.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What is it this time boss, are you pretending to hit on me to make Dany jealous?</em><br/>
<br/>
 “<em>I’m doing what? No you idiot, this is about Thoros.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh sorry Jon, what is it you need from me?”<br/>
<br/>
“Set up an account for the family, arrange fundings for the kids and transfer some cash from my personal accounts to them. We can do this much at least.”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t you think the company will do enough?”<br/>
<br/>
“With Baelish in charge, nothing is enough and you know that. In any case, set up new accounts for all of us, including yourself at the Winterfell Central Bank.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why is that?”<br/>
<br/>
“Martell is planning to invest in the far North once the deal with Mance is signed. With Northern market taking off, Winterfell Central will have its perks. In any case, it’s more secure to have it here than King’s Landing, if you know what I mean.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, got it. They cannot legally trace the savings in Winterfell due to Northern law. Slick move boss, slick move… Anything else you need from me?”<br/>
<br/>
“Now the serious part is over, what the hell was that comment about Dany?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh you know, just an observation. You should see yourself though, you act like a fifteen year-old when you’re around her.”<br/>
<br/>
“I do what now?”<br/>
<br/>
“I seriously wish there was a camera following you 24/7.”<br/>
<br/>
“Okay Marge, I’m not a reality show. Make sure to report from King’s Landing once you land. I’ll call you for the necessary arrangements before I’m coming back.”<br/>
<br/>
“Will you take too long?”<br/>
<br/>
“A couple more days at most… Once I’m done with Mance, there isn’t much for me to do here.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright then, I’ll be waiting for your call.”<br/>
<br/>
“Right, safe travels Marge.”</em><br/>
<br/>
After the conversation, he grabbed his things and despite heavy protests from Lyanna about the new TV and curious looks from Dany, he left the mansion. Jory immediately brought his car and Jon didn’t waste another second before hitting the gas and cruising towards White Harbor. It was a rather peaceful ride for this was the first time he had truly been alone in days. Everyone’s presence had been so overwhelming for the past few days and he kinda appreciated this alone time, even though it was temporary and on the road. Just when he thought at least when own his own, nothing could disturb him, his phone started ringing. It was again Ari for the umpteenth time and he just put it on silent and kept driving. He knew he’d call her after talking with Mance anyway so there was no reason to bother himself now. Once the land, the trucks and the offices appeared on the horizon, he hit the gas even harder and within minutes, he entered Mance Rayder’s yard. His car was tended to immediately and he was directly led to Mance’s office. Mance however, didn’t want to spend the time indoors, as it was nice weather outside. Pentoshi coffee was brought right away as the two sat down. Mance observed him for a moment and started with the pleasantries. Soon after Jon noticed that there was nobody around and that meant it was time to get to business.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What is going on Jon, what has changed in only a matter of days?”<br/>
<br/>
“Nothing Mance, everything is pretty much the same. I’ll need to switch to finances mostly to stabilize the situation now that a crisis is on the horizon. ”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not buying it. Probably you are thinking that you’re handling the finances but there must be something else. Say I signed the contract, who will I be dealing with? Will it be that poor little trembling girl?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, Baelish is in charge of the harbors now.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh fuck him, no deal.”<br/>
<br/>
“This is profitable for you, you know that. That means ships flocking from all across the Narrow Sea to White Harbor. Forget about me and sign the damn deal.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh Jon, you ARE naïve.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you mean?”<br/>
<br/>
“You look troubled. Something must have happened at the company so that they cut you below the knees. I don’t see your future in there to be honest.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, you’re wrong. That company means everything to me. I won’t leave… of course unless Oberyn fires me.”<br/>
<br/>
“He will.”<br/>
<br/>
“What?”<br/>
<br/>
“Something definitely has gone wrong for you there. I’m pretty sure he’ll fire you once you get back. I do have an offer though.”<br/>
<br/>
“What, what offer?”<br/>
<br/>
“Come work for me. Then take over, expand this thing I have here. You have the mind for it, you know how to work the money as well.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll pass.”<br/>
<br/>
“Then take over your father’s legacy.”<br/>
<br/>
“WHAT?”<br/>
<br/>
“You heard me clearly. Take over your father’s legacy. Look Jon, he’s gone and there is no chance that he can be back. Make peace with him and take over his business. Besides there is your aunt, the restaurant, that woman what was her name… ah Dany was it? Make peace with all of it and cement your place here.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
There was still so much to do.<br/>
<br/>
One part of her wanted to run away from all of this and leave everything behind, while the other part of her wanted to trust Jon and let him help and protect her from the things to come. She knew if he stayed and she got to know him better, she would be able to trust him with some of the things, but at this time it was all a blur. Still, duty needed to be tended to and she had to visit places. Ned owned a lot of places in the market square and he had said so many times that once he died, no rent would be charged from the tenants. They practically didn’t need the money anyway but Ned knew the Northern people way better than she did. Paying small amounts still made them feel like they were honoring something, all the while giving their gratitude to Ned and helping him out with minor issues. She slowly cruised through the market place and gave the first bunch of people the good news. Her most important visit however, was to the spice merchant, Howland Reed. Howland had helped them quite a lot with the inventory of Northern cuisine and was a big supporter of Ned’s legacy. When he noticed her coming in, he smiled and welcomed her right away. However as always, the heavy smell of spices took over as she started sneezing repeatedly and she had to step out. Howland laughed and brought two chairs so they could sit outside. There was always something comforting about the man and Ned had always spoken highly of him.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What can I do for you dear Dany? I assume you are in need of new spices for The Moat?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, that and a few other things...”<br/>
<br/>
“So tell me how I can help you.”<br/>
<br/>
“The usual orders need to be sent to the restaurant weekly, now that we are fully operational once again. Also, the issues with rents including yours are now resolved. You won’t be paying us a penny from now on, since the shop is now yours. You’ll receive the paperwork for that from Davos later this week.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh but isn’t that a bit excessive?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, Ned had always wanted it that way and it’s penned into his will so we won’t be disrespecting it.”<br/>
<br/>
“I assume he put you in charge?”<br/>
<br/>
“He made me majority owner of the restaurant but I’m not the one who controls the money, Jon is.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ah, so at least he made things right in the end, that’s good.”<br/>
<br/>
“What do you mean?”<br/>
<br/>
“Leaving you in charge of the money would be disastrous my dear, you’re too kind and modest to ask for it, while Jon will just take it when he needs or wants it.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well he’s supposed to be a financial wizard so I guess it makes sense. That beats me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Right, but I’m sensing there is more to it.”<br/>
<br/>
“Actually yes, I wanted to ask you about the book, this inventory me and Ned were working on. I know where to go but I don’t have the necessary time or the resources to complete the rest of it.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh so you would like Jojen to help you out once you go Beyond the Wall, is that it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well that would be really helpful but then again just Jojen wouldn’t cut it I guess. You know, back in the day Davos would come with us and sometimes even you would join.”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course, good old times… But then again I need to tell you something about that inventory idea.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm, yes?”<br/>
<br/>
“It was Jon’s idea to begin with. Ned being Ned had dismissed it early on when he had first mentioned it and called it a stupid child’s dream. It was only after he left that he had started working on the idea. So ask Jon, he might want to help you with the resources.”<br/>
<br/>
“What?”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s right, just ask Jon.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why do I keep hearing this sentence from everyone around nowadays?”<br/>
<br/>
“Objectively speaking, because he’s pretty much aware of everything going on in here and him being away for many years doesn’t change the fact.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why’s that so?”<br/>
<br/>
“Because Ned was old school and he didn’t change a thing. He only transformed a little but I guess that’s what happens to all of us as we age.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, this was enlightening. Thank you Howland, I need to get back to the restaurant. Will you spread the word about the rents? I don’t want anyone to think that Davos is there to kick them out once he shows up.”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course! Good day Dany.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that taken care of, she slowly made her way to Lynesse’s kindergarten before going to the restaurant. All the prepping process was Tormund’s duty anyway and Dany desperately wanted to have some stress-free time before work started for her. The walk to the kindergarten really cleared her mind and some girl time with Lynesse was something she always liked. A little bit of gossip, the children showing her their drawings and some of the pregnancy talk would mean a carefree afternoon before work took over. She was welcomed at the door by the rushing children, who were happy to see Miss Dany. She always had the urge to laugh whenever someone called her that, but then again kids were kids and there was nothing she could do about it.<br/>
<br/>
After some pregnancy talk, kids coming by and showing her drawings and two cups of tea, Dany finally stopped being the one who was listening and started talking. She talked and talked about her first day as manager, all the obstacles, Jon kicking out showoff customers and so on. Lynesse knew the rest of it as she was there too but Dany had some things that she really needed to get off her chest. She had doubts about acknowleding her feelings but then again Lynesse had been trustworthy from the moment they had met and she knew she could confide in her. She checked her surroundings, made sure that nobody was around to eavesdrop and started talking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>He looked and acted like Ned last night, don’t you think?”<br/>
<br/>
“At that point I was scared for my life but you could pay attention to that? Wow, he really must have left an impression on you.”<br/>
<br/>
“I couldn’t help but notice… It’s not like I watch him all the time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure you don’t. Look, it is okay if he affected you somehow. He’s a strong, confidant, good looking young man. I don’t know how you two get along and I don’t know him that well, but Jorah always told me that he was probably the most easygoing person on the planet. Very different from his late father in that sense for sure… Come to think of it, even the sight of Ned made me tremble back in the day.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s what I felt last night. After it was all done, he wanted to talk and said a few things about feeling the urge to protect and take care of me and so on. I really want to trust him but then again I don’t know if I can.”<br/>
<br/>
“If you never try, you’ll never know. The Starks have a reputation of being trustworthy though. I’m sure if you ask nicely, he’ll help you with your troubles.”<br/>
<br/>
“He seems ignorant about the whole restaurant issue but then again I always feel like he would one day come and take over and expose me.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re really mumbling nonsense now. Every single breathing and living soul in Winterfell knows that if there is one thing that Jon Stark won’t ever do is taking over that restaurant. Besides I remember that he made it clear to you that he wants you to run it, isn’t that right?”<br/>
<br/>
“ That’s true; he just wanted to receive monthly financial reports.”<br/>
<br/>
“Then what is the problem? Did you develop feelings for him?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She couldn’t answer that. Had she actually developed feelings for him? Maybe so, but she was too afraid to confront them. Besides she was sure that he would shut her off immediately if she were to mention things like that and that would so hurt her chances at everything. The protection and the feeling of security that she needed would vanish in thin air and she would be back where she started. Her silence must had been deafening as Lynesse first gave her a weird, questioning look and then started chuckling.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Oh my god, you HAVE feelings for him.”<br/>
<br/>
“Shut it now, it’s inappropriate.”<br/>
<br/>
“And why would that be? You are a beautiful woman and I’m sure he’s noticed that as well. It’s okay if you have feelings for him, come on now. We aren’t teenagers anymore and acting like it won’t do you any good. Be mature, act like an adult and I’m sure he’ll respond.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She could only nod as the conversation came to an end, because Lynesse’s pregnancy consultant named Ygritte had arrived with her own kid. Dany had never met her but was stunned at the sight as a beautiful redhead walked inside and Lynesse hugged her. Once they were introduced, Dany complimented her on the job well done with Lynesse’s pregnancy and immediately started looking for excuses to leave. Then it struck her that she needed to be back at the restaurant before dinner preparations as Davos was to bring the necessary papers concerning Ned’s will. Once she mentioned aloud that she needed to get back to The Moat, Ygritte’s expression changed and there was an awkward silence. Lynesse just started laughing and cleared the air.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Ygritte and Jon used to date back in high school; she has a tendency to stay away from the restaurant because of that.”</em> <em> <br/>
<br/>
</em>The redhead still looked uncomfortable about the whole thing and for a brief moment jealousy sparked in her as she imagined Ygritte with Jon. She couldn’t understand what was happening to her as she just stared at Ygritte and then tried to clear the air as politely as possible by mumbling that it has to be water under the bridge and so on. Why she was acting like this, she couldn’t tell. Did she really feel that strongly about Jon that even the thought of another woman by her side made her uncomfortable? These thoughts occupied her mind as she bid them goodbye and walked back to the restaurant. Edd welcomed her at the door let her know that Davos had arrived. Ms. Stark was also on her way with Ashara as she noticed that Tormund, Jorah and Edmure were all ready for the will talks and procedures to be taken care of. She noticed that Jon was nowhere to be found so after nodding to the chefs, she walked straight into the office. Davos was enjoying a wrap, courtesy of Tormund and they quickly discussed the events of last night. Once Lyanna arrived however, the mood changed and the chefs also joined them in the office. Davos took his last bite from his food, wiped his mouth clean and then started working through the papers. Jon still wasn’t around and somehow that felt wrong. He needed to be here but he wasn’t and that made her a little mad inside. She both wanted to see him and wanted him to respect his father’s memory but clearly he wasn’t interested. Still she couldn’t keep her mouth shut and just blabbed out the first thing that came to her mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Maybe we should wait for Jon?”<br/>
<br/>
“Näh, I called him thrice and he didn’t answer. I ain’t got all day so let’s get started. The mansion, the shops etc. these you already know and those aren’t the issue for today. The Moat is left to the four of you, with Dany owning the 50%. The rest equally divided between Tormund, Jorah and Edmure. Also for Tormund; the apartments he and his mother currently live in are bought and paid for. For Jorah and Lynesse also the apartments and the kindergarten bought and paid for. For Edmure and Roslin, the apartments and the mini van, bought and paid for. There is a fund covering the tuition for Alys’s college studies, not to mention cash left for each and every one of you.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>This was all real now as she tried to blink back tears. She felt Lyanna’s hand on hers, trying to support her but all this reality was too much. Jorah and Edmure had both teared up as well while Davos kept reading through the document. As he was about to reach the end, there was a knock on the door and Jon had arrived. He looked inside and smiled at everyone to check on the situation. Everyone briefly turned to him as he asked what was going on, to which Davos replied with good humor.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>We’re raiding your inheritance. Do you have anything to say on the matter?”<br/>
<br/>
“Näh I’m good, just make sure it’s distributed fairly.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that he again left and Davos kept on.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>While I’m at it, the mansion for Lyanna Stark as long as she lives and later to Ashara Storm, under the condition that she stays in Winterfell until she turns eighteen. Also a fund is to be set for Ashara so that her tuition fees can be paid.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point she just couldn’t hold the tears anymore as they started flowing freely. Even when not here, Ned had secured her child’s future and there were no words to express how grateful she was. She knew that Jon could have contested this but had refrained from doing so and by that he had actually helped the both of them to have a safe and secure future here. She made a mental note about thanking him for that as Davos continued.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>And well, he has left me nothing! That’ll be all and now if you’ll excuse me, I have to be somewhere else within fifteen minutes.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Jon again came by and certainly he had caught the last sentence as he commented on that with a grin on his face.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>That means that he needs to be at the alehouse in Wintertown before getting home early enough so that Marya doesn’t kick his ass.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>That remark was met with laughter as a joyous mood overtook the room. Jon had lightened the mood with a nice joke as he came in and had a quick conversation with Davos, before he left. Jon had insisted on seeing Shireen before he left for King’s Landing and Davos stubbornly had told him that he was welcome to see her at their place. Tormund, Jorah and Edmure returned to their stations as it was Jon, Lyanna and herself who were left in the office. She briefly stepped outside to check the kitchens and when she returned to the office, she accidentally overheard the conversation between them.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Why don’t I take you to King’s Landing when I go? It’ll be a nice change for you. Besides you haven’t been to my new place and it’s been so long.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know, there are things that needed to be tended here.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh come on aunt Lyanna, it won’t be like the mansion would collapse if you weren’t here for a week.”</em> <br/>
<em><br/>
“I agree, it will be a nice change but I’ll only come if Dany comes with.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>At that point she had no choice to enter and intervene.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Dany comes where?”<br/>
<br/>
“To King’s Landing for a few days...”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know, there is still much to handle here. All the restaurant work and so on…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Seemingly Lyanna was sold on the idea already and wanted her to come with as well.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You haven’t been out of Winterfell in years. Take a few days off. If you feel even slightly bored, we’ll return.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll think about it.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>With that she left to tend to her duties. The last audible thing was Jon’s excited voice, telling his aunt that he’ll organize things, purchase the tickets and have his place prepared for their arrival. He had sounded sincere and for a brief moment Dany thought that it was okay to go with him and just try to experience something else. She had been stuck with fear and commitment for too long anyway and this truly could be a nice, refreshing change for both her and Lyanna. She threw herself back at her work, which included going in and out of the office every now and then and to see Jon either staring at the screen or on the phone with someone. His mood looked a little sour than usual but then again maybe this was how he was when he was handling his business. Once Lyanna came from visiting the kitchens and told her she was ready to take off, Dany just nodded and went back into the office to grab her coat. Jon had just got off the phone and he tried to smile to her as gently as possible. Deciding that this was the right time to let him know, she just spoke her mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>There is something that I need to ask you about.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure, what is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry I meant to say that later in the evening. It is something important though.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well can you at least tell me what it is about?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, I need to show it to you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm okay, so I guess we talk when we’re both back in the mansion?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sure, I’ll get going then. See you later!”<br/>
<br/>
“Wait, what, where are you going?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Without answering she left and they started touring around the market place with Lyanna. They went from place to place, bought some stuff and all throughout that time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being followed. She noticed something chaotic going on near the alehouse as people were pushing around someone, loudly questioning what the fuck he was doing. She thought she saw a familiar face, a wounded face from many years ago and fear sparked within her. Trying to keep it cool, Dany kept looking forward but she knew she needed to sit down so she asked Lyanna if they could sit down for coffee. Once they did, she started catching her breath and relaxed a little. Lyanna was sincerely smiling at her and once the coffee was brought, she started explaining her why they should go to King’s Landing. The more she talked, the more she bought into the idea and the punchline came in the end.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Don’t just come for the sake of it or for the sake of accompanying me. Do something for yourself, because you haven’t done that ever since Ned died. Plus it’s a posh city with lots of galleries and museums. I’m sure you’ll love the place and Jon will happily show you around.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She digested those last words, smiled and nodded to the older woman.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Alright then, let’s do it. Let’s go to King’s Landing.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>***<br/>
<br/>
Ari knew she had to do something after the things she witnessed in the last 24 hours.<br/>
<br/>
She asked her father’s personal assistant about the latest check up he had and once she got the report that it was very recent, panic took over her. Taking the appointment folder without the assistant’s consent, she looked through the schedule, meetings and found out the check-up was conducted at Baelor Central under the supervision of Dr. Pycelle. Ari had liked the guy, despite him being the one who had diagnosed her all those years ago. At that point she knew that she had to go and check with him and tried to mentally prepare herself for the worst. She refused the driver’s services and took a cab and rode fast to the hospital. When she reached the right floor, she saw Pycelle, who looked like he was about to call it a day. Once he noticed her however, he smiled and came to greet her. They walked towards his office in silence and with each passing second, Ari felt panic was rising within her. After entering Pycelle’s private office and making sure the door was shut, she sat down but couldn’t bring herself to speak. The old man however, had a bitter smile on his face as he examined her and then with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he started talking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So Ari tell me, what brings you here? I suppose it’s not about your condition, am I right?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not really. I’m doing much better to be honest, after my medication changed.”<br/>
<br/>
“Changed how?”<br/>
<br/>
“Seemingly my body wasn’t reacting to the old one you recommended before, so they amped up the dose with a newer, more powerful drug. However as you said, this isn’t about me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well go on then, tell me what I can do for you.”<br/>
<br/>
“What is going on with my father?”<br/>
<br/>
</em>There was an unnerving silence as Pycelle suddenly looked all white and acted like he had seen a ghost. He tried to gather himself but words choked at his throat first. He took a sip of his water, controlled his breathing and started speaking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Your father was diagnoses with brain cancer, stage three. This happened almost a month ago so I, I thought you knew already. Considering that you’re here though, he’s started having seizures.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>All her world crashed upon her as she was barely able to understand some of the things that Pycelle said next. The moment she was able to regain control of her body, she stood up, thanked the old man and left. She walked aimlessly on the streets, just sat down on a bench and stared blank at Blackwater Bay. This wasn’t supposed to happen and she really didn’t know how to deal with this. Her father had apparently refused treatment and Ari knew that she couldn’t go on like this. Panic once again took over her as her breathing became more rapid and she started feeling pain in her chest. The attack had caught her in public much to her dismay and she just prayed that she wouldn’t pass out on that fucking bench. Luckily for her, her breathing began to return to normal as she gathered herself and after a few minutes, she was good to go. She decided to get home immediately to avert any possible crisis from striking and took a cab.<br/>
<br/>
Once she got home, she found her father in his precious movie room, smoking a cigar and watching an old black and white Essosi movie. Her heart broke at the sight as she noticed that soon her father wouldn’t be able to do the things he loved to do. Then it came to her that he had started smoking again, spent more time outdoors, took fewer meetings and watched more movies. She noticed that she needed Jon, both to know and help with the situation but she started suspecting that he already knew. She took out her phone to notice, in crisis mode she had called him numerous times but wasn’t answered. Consciously she dialed his number once more and this time it was answered to her shock. She quickly gathered herself and got straight to the point.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Jon, did you know about it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Did I know about what?”<br/>
<br/>
“My father, did you know about him?”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm no, Ari what are you talking about?”<br/>
<br/>
“You need to get back here please. As soon as possible…”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Her voice cracked and tears flowed, forcing her to end the conversation. She once again checked on her father to find him asleep in front of the big screen, with his phone’s screen flashing. That made her understand that Jon had no idea either and her heart broke once more at the sight. The Great Oberyn Martell had hid his condition from the two people who he cared about the most, who in return couldn’t do anything to help him at the moment.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
She was defying direct orders once again.<br/>
<br/>
Up until that day, nobody had managed to control Lyanna Mormont by any means and nobody was going to until the end of her days. She had carried her search on Ramsay to another level and now had started looking for weaknesses all around. All those special orphans who once studied in God’s Eye were spread around the world and their network was big with vast resources. She was indecisive about using these resources but after the murder of Thoros, she knew she couldn’t hold back. She sent Ramsay’s picture to the network database and a couple of negative answers came. There was one positive answer however, from someone who had mastered computer sciences in Storm’s End. The message told that the person knew Ramsay and even had studied with him. Allegedly Ramsay had dropped out by the end of the second year, after having a big argument with a professor and coming to blows with him. The professor had died two years later and the case was addressed as suicide. She knew that it was bullshit and the fucker had most likely murdered the professor in cold-blood but she kept her mouth shut and tried to collect more info.<br/>
<br/>
After confirming that this was their guy and telling the people in the conversation that this isn’t everybody’s ball game, a few people dropped out from the conversation. It was okay for Lyanna as that meant that these people weren’t necessarily tough enough to carry on with such destruction. She wanted to see Ramsay suffer and pay for all the sins he had committed so far. She then sent a text to Mya, reminding her to be careful about sudden appearances and being followed. A quick response came, telling her that she was never alone, even in the shop and that made her sigh with relief. Edric however, never responded to texts so she decided to call him right away. Lucky for her, he picked up rather quickly and didn’t annoy her like he always did.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Well well, if it isn’t Lady Mormont… What can I do for you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Cut the crap and let me get to the point. Are you being careful?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh I have been, no worries. I’ve followed him to pretty much everywhere since the hospital incident. He watched the worker’s family home for a while and had his fun. Then he went to the gym and so on. What do you want from this fucker anyway?”<br/>
<br/>
“I want what I want. You just need to be very careful with this asshole. Promise me you will be careful.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, I promise.”<br/>
<br/>
“Okay that’s good. I’ve gotta go now but I’ll be back in town tomorrow the earliest. We’ll be in touch.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She had ended the conversation just in time as she saw little Ashara rushing towards her from the car that had just stopped inside the mansion. Lyanna hated little kids, but there was something differenet about this one. Then again her mother was an angel and she thought maybe she really took after her mother with her behavior. She hugged the little girl as she joyously chuckled in her arms and started speaking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Mommy sent the car, there’s a surprise for you at the restaurant.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh a surprise? Well, I shouldn’t keep mommy waiting in that case. Are you coming with?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, I have to stay here with Beth and take a bath. Mommy said I’m supposed to prepare stuff. Can you keep a secret?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well sure I can, what is it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Mommy said that we’re going to King’s Landing. Jon lives there, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes he does and so do I.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, so I’ll get to see you too?”<br/>
<br/>
“You most certainly will.”<br/>
<br/>
“Great! It’s gonna be so much fun.”<br/>
<br/>
“Definitely! Alright then, I should get going. I think we’ll be going altogether so I’ll see you soon.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>She quickly grabbed her laptop and started heading for the car. Lyanna Stark had on the other hand, had just exited the car and was slowly walking towards her. The older woman smiled at her and let her know that they were also coming with, to which she nodded and pointed at little Ashara. That little gesture was met with a sincere laugh from the old woman, as she mumbled to herself while walking towards the mansion. Lyanna got into the car and they immediately took off. Within maybe ten minutes, they were at the restaurant and she was welcomed at the door immediately. The head waiter guided her towards the kitchens, where she found a very angry Tormund with Dany next to him. Dany was barely holding her laughter and looked like she was about to burst. Tormund still had the mezzaluna in his hands and looked like he was still fuming. Lyanna felt even smaller next to the giant of a man as he kept grunting. After barely being able to contain herself, Dany explained what this was all about.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So Tormund here, made you a vegan kebab.This is a first for our restaurant.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Dany then bursted out laughing right away as The Moat was very well known for the quality of their steaks and all other sorts of meat but this was a huge surprise. Tormund still looked like he could murder someone as clearly he thought that this was an insult to his cooking. Lyanna was shocked at the sight, as she shrunk next to the big man and accepted the tray. Tormund kept grunting while Dany kept laughing and Lyanna also started laughing out of the awkwardness of the situation. Tormund hung up the mezzaluna and called it a day as Dany guided her towards one of the private tables, still chuckling humorously at the event transcribed. Noticing that she had only snacked at the stuff while she was on her computer at the mansion, Lyanna started devouring the meal, which tasted heavenly. She complimented Tormund on the quality of the food and even went as far as telling him that this should be something permanent on the menu, which was met with more grunts from the big man. Dany looked both amused and excited at the scene and once she was almost done with her food, the conversation started.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So I’m sure Ashara already blabbed to you about us coming to King’s Landing.”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course she did. Damn she looked excited about that.”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess when you’re six years-old everything can be exciting.”<br/>
<br/>
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, but then again there are tons of things for her in there. We’ll find ways to keep her occupied and I’ll show you around.”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t you have to be at work?”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm sure, but boss might cut me some slack now that you’re visiting.”<br/>
<br/>
“Alright then, tell me what you have in mind.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll take you to my special tattoo place. This guy has eidetic memory, just like you and he draws unbelievable things. You’ll so love that stuff.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>It took her a while to notice that Dany had zoned out and was in a completely different world and she fell silent as she watched the beautiful woman sitting across the table from her.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em>(7 years ago)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>She was looking at a hauntingly beautiful picture.<br/>
<br/>
All those details were amazing and she thought this to be an unfinished masterpiece by some Westerosi architecht. Her teacher let her examine the details as much as possible for a few minutes and then took the picture away. Nysteros Maegyr her teacher, gave her a confidant look and told her that she had an hour to draw whatever she remembered. Once she was alone, she closed her eyes and pictured every single detail in her mind for a few minutes and got to work. Those burnt looking incomplete towers were a joy to draw and paint and she lost herself in the painting. She didn’t notice the time flying by as she worked and just when she was about to put the finishing touches, Mr. Maegyr came back in and told her time was up. Reluctantly she let go of the painting, only to witness the amazement in her teacher’s eyes. He definitely looked astonished with an o-shaped mouth and tried to sit down as he put the painting and the picture side by side. Once she saw the picture itself and assured herself, a small smile formed on her face and she asked Mr. Maegyr.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I’m sorry Mr. Maegyr but what was this you made me paint? It was hauntingly beautiful.”<br/>
<br/>
“That my dear, was the Ruins of Harrenhal… An old Westerosi castle, supposedly burned by dragons in the ancient ages but nobody knows for sure since the Westerosi didn’t keep records at the time. Even if they did, it is unbeknownst to us.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe I’ll get to see it one day. I so hope to do that.”<br/>
<br/>
“I truly hope so too my dear.”</em><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
(Present Day)<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Dany… Hey Dany…”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh I’m sorry, I just zoned out for a moment when you mentioned eidetic memory. Things started flowing in my head.”<br/>
<br/>
“Its okay, I understand.”<br/>
<br/>
“I told you, it gets painful sometimes.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah I remember that.<br/>
<br/>
</em>Dany then cupped her face and Lyanna felt the warmth that she had almost never felt in her life. Her adopted mother Alysanne would do that every now and then but she truly had known no motherly love in her life. The thought made her a little sad but Dany still looked rattled from whatever she remembered and Lyanna tried to be as helpful as possible. Awkwardly enough, Dany stood up from her seat and headed to the ladies room and she only saw her again, once they were heading back to the mansion.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
The architecht would come tomorrow and that was the last thing he needed to deal with.<br/>
<br/>
Before the final mansion chaos however, he was to have dinner with Grenn and Osha. He had thought that he at least owed them that much, but of course he had another plan in his mind for the both of them. Her aunt had sent him a text, confirming that they would be coming with him to King’s Landing and that had sparked a little flame in his heart. In his mind, he was already taking Dany to places, showing her around and walking with her around Blackwater Bay, later taking her near Kingswood for a picnic and so on. He huffed to himself, once again realizing that Dany had consumed him somehow. He wasn’t the one for emotions and he barely was able to put his finger on things like this but everyone around him had noticed that he had developed something for Dany already. Whether they were right or wrong, he couldn’t tell but all he knew was that when she was around, everything felt lighter, he felt happier and when she wasn’t around, his mood immediately soured. He had closed himself to feelings after leaving Winterfell and never had a serious relationship ever after breaking up with Ygritte.<br/>
<br/>
These thoughts consumed him on his way to the waterfalls, where this fancy new Tower Restaurant was newly built and was owned by Cley Cerwyn, another friend of his late father’s. Everywhere he went; his father somehow was either in the shadows or was the source of mass that consumed everything. He couldn’t tell whether his father was a black hole or dark matter but especially after the conversation he had with Mance and seeing everyone happily getting their shares with the will, he had decided to make peace with his past and finally move on. Maybe Dany was his new beginning after all and time was going to tell what was what.<br/>
<br/>
He was greeted at the door by Cerwyn himself, who looked sincerely happy to see him. After offering his condolences and a little chit-chat, he led him towards his table, originally booked for the Doctor’s Association. Grenn and Osha followed soon after as piles of food came to the table with drinks flowing and Jon once again felt like he was a teenager and felt the warmth of his longtime friends being around. He wanted to hear about how they had kept everything together so he decided to ask Osha straight. Before that could happen however, there was a woman loudly complaining about their table being occupied and so on. When they all turned towards the entrance, he saw Ygritte, who was there with her husband. Noticing that it was them who were sitting there, she made her way towards their table, much to his distress. The last thing he wanted was an awkward confrontation and he was going to get one. If there was a chance that he could escape things without a scene, those hopes died quickly as he heard his full name.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Jon Stark back in Winterfell? Now that is a surprise.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>“<em>Well yeah, only for a short visit though. Good to see you Ygritte.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, good to see you too… Allow me to introduce my husband; this is Orell.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He shook hands with the awkward looking man, who was clearly disturbed by his wife’s behavior and clearly was going to ask questions about who the hell he was, once they got back home. Osha and Ygritte hugged while Grenn just politely greeted the two. With a needling bon apetit, Ygritte and Orell made their way to another table and he felt that he was finally free. Luckily Grenn knew how to change the mood and once his glass was full again, he remembered what he was going to ask before the interruption.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So now tell me in detail, what did you guys do after high-school and how did you actually get married? I know for one that Grenn’s parents were completely against the idea of you guys being together.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I had asked for her hand already the last year of high-school. Then I formally asked for her father’s permission but got beaten up by her brothers. Then my parents got involved and shit got out of hand. Then she got into college in Hardhome and I followed her, without thinking. Once she was pregnant, we couldn’t care less and were married in front of the Old Gods.”<br/>
<br/>
“Whoa that’s some tough shit. What happened afterwards?”<br/>
<br/>
“Your father was in Hardhome for business and he caught us. She was in the late stages of her pregnancy and I got so badly scolded by Ned that I still remember it. We were dirt-poor, living in a two bedroom apartment away from the harbor and I worked three jobs to feed us but still couldn’t. He rented a larger flat for us and visited us after our child was born, not to mention paying for our expenses for years.”</em><br/>
<br/>
He was seeing a different side of his father, a side that he had never experienced. He was almost going to tear up but he kept his cool as Osha kept on.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Then we heard that he forcefully brought our families together and scolded them too. Once the dust cleared, we came back to Winterfell. He hired me to work at The Moat actually and I worked there for years. I still remember the day he brought Dany for the first time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh you do?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, well I think you know the details about how she saved his life.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah I’ve been told.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Then Grenn took over and mentioned something that really broke his heart.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>You know what, once he actually asked me whether I was in contact with you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm, what did you say?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well I told him the truth. I told him that I hadn’t seen you since graduation.”<br/>
<br/>
“How did he react to that?”<br/>
<br/>
“He got mad as usual and then started cursing.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, that’s very typical of him.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Laughter soon took over as they raised a toast to his late father, only to be interrupted by his phone ringing. Mormont was calling so thinking that it could be urgent, he excused himself, stepped outside and took the call.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What is it? Did she say something important?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not really but she zoned out for a brief moment and then awkwardly left.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck, how are we supposed to learn what went wrong and how? In any case, I’m thinking that I’ll talk to Davos once more about this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Look boss, don’t push it. She might want to escape if you back her into a corner.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine fine, I’ll see you at the mansion.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Just when he ended the conversation and turned back to head inside, he came face to face with Ygritte. He had almost forgotten about her being there and realizing that there was no way out of this awkwardness this time, he reluctantly initiated the conversation.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So how have you been?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ve been good, better than you might think actually. How are you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I don’t know how to answer that. I could say that it’s complicated.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s always complicated with you and you know nothing. I’m used to that.”<br/>
<br/>
“Heh, so anyways, are you back in town for good?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, settled here with my family… What about you? Back for good?”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not really but I’ll be around more for sure.”<br/>
<br/>
“Good to hear that. We should get coffee some time.”<br/>
<br/>
“We should?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah we should. Maybe you’ll show the decency to finally apologize.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Without saying another word, she turned around and left. Jon wanted nothing to do with Ygritte but then again, manners were manners and he had to act. After enduring her abusive ways during their teenage years, he had stayed away from relationships and after this little confrontation, he once again understood why. He returned to the table and this time making sure that they wouldn’t be interrupted, he started speaking his mind.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Okay now to serious business. I asked you both for this dinner because firstly I was ashamed of not being in touch for this long. Secondly, I cannot accept the fact that two brilliant people like you are struggling within the system and working shitty jobs, clearly not for your caliber. So Grenn; our company is opening an office here and I want you at the head of it.”<br/>
<br/>
“But Jon…”<br/>
<br/>
“There are no buts. I already sent you a number, that’s my assistant. You will call her first thing in the morning and make the necessary arrangements. She’s aware that you’ll be calling and will be expecting your call. I will know if you don’t call and I will kick your ass. So that’s one.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He turned and grinned at Osha, before continuing. He was finally making things right.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>As for you, I would like to welcome you back to The Moat. The least I can do for the restaurant is to modernize the kitchens a little more. You are a quality manager so you will do your job.”<br/>
<br/>
“But Jon, we butt heads with Tormund all the time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Leave that to me. You’ll be there first thing in the morning and make sure Tormund stays in line while we’re gone.”<br/>
<br/>
“We? Oh wait a second, is Dany coming with you to King’s Landing? Jon fucking Stark, still a big time player, always managing to get the hottest girl around.”<br/>
<br/>
“No it’s not like that, my aunt is also coming with.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh come on now, I see the look on your face. It’s okay to have the hots for her, everyone in Winterfell does.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ah fuck my life, there is seriously no escaping this. But okay, now all this is settled, I’d like to propose a toast for your new jobs and a new, fresh start for all of us.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>After that, they headed home. On the road back to the mansion, Jon was clear about two things. He had made peace with his father despite how bad their past was and he wasn’t necessarily afraid of tapping into his feelings, clearly he was developing for Dany. Everyone else was aware of it so they maybe had a point. He wasn’t afraid to try and experience anymore, he was finally ready to trust and share things fullly.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
When they arrived back at the mansion, Lyanna Stark was sitting alone by the front porch, holding an old album on her lap.<br/>
<br/>
The older woman had spent an excessive amount of time with Jon’s assistant and maybe the two of them had got into some very private conversations. Dany knew to not to dig into Ms. Stark’s past as it was a complicated issue, which had been clouding her life for more than thirty years now. Dismissing any negative thought from her mind, she got out of the car and asked Mormont to follow her to the porch. They both sat down and cheered the older woman up a little and then not wanting to miss a beat, Dany headed inside to get the box where they kept the documents, drawings, paintings and all the recipes for the inventory she and Ned were preparing. Mormont was extremely interested in everything she saw, while Ms. Stark was smiling at those little memories she refreshed for herself. She needed and wanted Jon to be here, wanted to show him that she had made progress with his idea, wanted to share with him and see him happy about this. She couldn’t keep herself from asking where he was but was a little disappointed to learn that he was out with his high-school friends.<br/>
<br/>
Mormont was eagerly looking through Ned’s pictures and somehow had a weird smile on her face that Dany hadn’t seen before. She then explained that she had been to the Moat a long, long time ago and was horrified at the sight of Ned as a child. Dany then shared her own experiences about meeting Ned for the first time and the three of them had a good laugh about it. Mormont paid her compliment after compliment about the drawings and the paintings and finally she saw Jon’s car entering from the main gate. He parked his car, stepped out and looked clearly happy already. He greeted them all, asked Beth for a Pentoshi coffee and sat down next to them. His eyes immediately went to the drawings on the table and before she could explain, he immediately asked.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What are these?”<br/>
<br/>
“This was the thing I wanted to talk about with you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uhm, isn’t this the famous Craster rice?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, see… We had started preparing an inventory of the Northern cuisine. We had everything completed from Moat Cailin to the Wall and then later went on to Craster’s Keep but…”<br/>
<br/>
“These drawings, paintings… These are wonderful.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thank you. I was told that this was your idea in the beginning.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I mean it was just a thought that I happened to have said out loud. He had dismissed it though… Oh wait, isn’t that Jon Arryn with him? What a cool picture that is!”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, there are a few more.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>He then got stuck at a picture of Ned with a few spearwives. His expression soured briefly but then he smiled brighter than ever and nodded, telling them that it was a nice picture as well. He paused for a moment and she didn’t know what to say for reasons that she couldn’t tell she was feeling more excited than necessary. It looked like they were finding common ground and that had excited her very much. She had wanted to trust him, share with him for so long and now it looked like it was becoming real. Suddenly he dropped the pictures and turned his attention to her and asked.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>So were you able to finish it?”<br/>
<br/>
“Unfortunately no… Our last trip took us as far as Skirling Pass but that was it.We had planned to go to Frostfangs next and wanted to visit this famous place called The Cave. Apparently there is a legendary, 100 year old man called Brynden Rivers, who still somehow operates there and knows all the recipes known to those lands.<br/>
<br/>
“Then we will go and see him.”<br/>
<br/>
“What?”<br/>
<br/>
“You heard me; we’ll go and see him. It would be a shame for this to go unfinished. I’ll gladly take you to those lands.”<br/>
<br/>
</em>Out of happiness she had lost her tongue and she could only smile like an idiot to the man sitting in front of him, who clearly looked taken by the drawings and paintings. Mormont was smiling, while Lyanna Stark was holding her nephew’s hand. Jon had a smile on his face that she had never seen to this day and she was sure that she was also smiling like an idiot and would be embarrassed to hell if she were able to see herself from outside. Her heart had finally melted with joy after long days of doubt and she sincerely knew within herself that she could trust this man, trust that he would help her out with something this important despite his differences with Ned, trust that he could open up his heart to her and share with her. Warmth kept growing in her for the rest of the night as Dany finally slept peacefully for the first time since Ned died.<br/>
<br/>
***<br/>
<br/>
Ramsay Bolton never got the chance to have a day off.<br/>
<br/>
This was once again a long day of killing, observing, plotting and executing. It was again late night as he reached home and parked his car to the big lot near his apartment building. There was an awkward air in the lot as he took his briefcase from the backseat and started walking towards his apartment. Then out of nowhere a man came out of the shadows, wearing a hoodie. Once he noticed that the man in the hoodie was following him, he kept his pace but pulled his gun out and put the silencer on. Just when he was about to turn the corner and get out into the open, he heard the click of a gun and he immediately turned back and fired a few rounds. Trying to separate himself from the mysterious man, he quickened his steps but ran into drunken prostitutes, who were loudly passing by. Police sirens were heard immediately after as the cops noticed the prostitutes in the illegal zone and he used the distraction to throw himself to his apartment building. Quickly entering his apartment and locking himself in, he powered up his laptop, started the nightvision surveilance outside his building and rushed to the window to observe everything from the inside.<br/>
<br/>
The man in the hoodie was kneeling behind a car and waiting for the police to pass by. Once the police flooded the opposite street and started cornering the prostitutes, he stood up from behind the car and tried to walk the other way. Another well built man just appeared from the shadows and bumped into the man in the hoodie as they went their separate ways. Knowing that he was now secure, Ramsay went to his computer and rewinded the surveilance record. Once the image was enhanced, he found himself staring at Beric Dondarrion who had tried to kill him and Edric Storm, this close friend of Lyanna Mormont, who had been patiently tailing him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So... </p><p>With Jon and Dany establishing mutual trust, newer and better things are on the horizon. More fluff is on the way in the upcoming three chapters.</p><p>Next chapter however will be mainly focused on Ramsay. We will dig deep into his story and learn what fuels him and keeps him going. </p><p>Kudos and comments are always appreciated as they bring me joy and motivate me to write more in my spare time.</p><p>Until the next one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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